,80' 


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Centennial 


irst  Congregational  Cfturcb 

Kccscoiik,  n.  y. 


5 


"leat  We  forget 


' 


LIBRARY    OF    THE    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY 

PRINCETON.     N.    J. 

PRESENTED  BY 

S.   G.   Ayres. 


Dh  isioni 


M.J/so 

S.\-iioiij,./L!jt.(  <--' 

A3 


First.  Congregational  Church,  Keeseville,  N.  Y. 


1323 


One  Hundredth  Anniversary 


OF  THE 


ORGANIZATION 


Of  THE 


First  GonAreAational  Ghurch 


KEESEVILLE,  N.  Y. 


HISTORY. 

Church  organized  at  Port  Douglass  1806 

Church  moved  into  Keeseville  1828 

First  Pastor  Called  1829 

First  Church  Edifice  Erected  1830 

United  with  Champlain  Presbytery  1845 

Second  Church  Edifice  Erected  1852 


PASTORS  AND  MINISTERS. 


Rev.  Cyrus  Comstock 

Rev.  Chester  Armstrong 

Rev.  James    Gilbert 

Rev.  Solomon  Lyman 1829 — 1834 

Rev.  A.  D.  Brinkerhoff 1834—1838 

Rev.  John  Mattocks 1838—1856 

Rev.  John  R.  Young 1857—1858 

Rev.  Selden  Haynes 1858—1860 

Rev.  Asa  Hemenway I860 — 1864 

Rev.  H.  E.  Butler 1864—1880 

Rev.  L.  H.  Elliott 1881—1884 

Rev.  C.  H.  Newhall 1885—1887 

Rev.  A.  C.  Bishop 1887—1904 

Rev.  Christopher  R.  Hamlin          ....  1904—1905 

Rev.  William  Cullen  Taylor 1905 


PRESENT  OFFICERS. 


PASTOR 
Rev.  William  Cullen  Taylor 

DEACONS 
Aaron  C.  Andrews 

Warner  R.  Garritt 

Charles  M.  Hopkins 

TRUSTEES 
Charles  H.  Prescott 

Lemuel  B.  Davis 

Henry  S.  Kingsland 

CHURCH  CLERK 
Charles  M.  Hopkins 

TREASURER 
Henry  S.  Kingsland 


o 


o 
O 


PROGRAM 


SUNDAY  10:30  A.  M. 


Organ  Voluntary— Sonata  J.  Lemmens 

Holy,  Holy,  Holy 

Invocation 

Responsive  Reading — Portion  18 

Hymn  832 

Scripture  Reading 

Anthem— "Praise  ye  the  Father" 

Prayer 

Hymn  355 

Offering 

Hymn  48 

Sermon— Debts  and  Dividends         Rev.  William  Cullen  Taylor 

Prayer 

Hymn  503 


Communion  Service 


PROGRAM 


SUNDAY  7  P.  M. 


Organ  Voluntary — Andante  in  F. — Wely 

Hymn  711 

Scripture  Reading 

Anthem — "  Great  and  Marvellous  " 

Prayer 

Hymn  776 

Address— The  Mission  of  the  Church,        Rev.  William  Fraser 

Prayer 

Hymn  793 

Benediction. 


PROGRAM 


MONDAY  2  P.  M. 


Organ  Voluntary — Fantasia,  Whitney 

Hymn  111 

Scripture 

Prayer 

Hymn  112 

Greetings— Our  Former  Members 

Anthem — "  O  be  Joyful  in  the  Lord  " 

Historical  Sketch,  Miss  Justina  Thompson 

Hymn  625 

Greetings — Our  Former  Pastors 

Greetings — Our  Presbytery,  Rev.  Joseph  Gamble,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Cornelius  S.  Stowitts,  D.  D. 

Hymn  496 

Greetings — Our  Neighbors  Rev.  W.  E.  Millington 

Rev.  E.  J.  Guernsey 

Hymn  651 

Benediction. 


Reception  and  Banquet,  5  to  7:30  p.  m. 


PROGRAM 


MONDAY  7:30  P.  M. 


Organ  Voluntary — Chorus  of  Angels  Clark 

Hymn  411 

Scripture 

Anthem — "  Recessional  " 

Prayer 

Hymn  903 

Address — American  Presbyterianism,  Rev.  Joseph  Gamble  D.  D. 

Hymn  692 

Address — How  the  Pulpit  Looks  from  the  Pew, 

Hon.  W.  C.  Watson 

Centennial  Hymn 

Benediction 


CENTENNIAL  HYMN. 


Words  by  W.  C.  T. 


One  hundred  years  are  past: 
O'er  which  thy  love  has  cast 

Its  quickening  ray. 
Thy  purposes  proved  best: 
Thy  providence  gave  rest; 
Each  promise  stood  the  test, 

Through  all  the  way. 

II 

God  over  all:    Most  High! 

Thy  church  through  years  gone  by 

Stands,  to  this  hour. 
Here  altar-fires  have  burned; 
Oft  has  the  Spirit  yearned; 
Souls  to  the  Christ  have  turned; 

•Saved,  by  His  power. 

III. 

God  of  this  favored  hour; 
Vouchsafe  to  us  thy  power 

Now,  to  excel. 
Love's  sacrifice  we  make; 
Faith's  victories  we  take: 
Forward!  for  Jesus'  sake, 

His  praise  to  swell. 

IV. 

LORD  God  of  ages  vast; 
Our  present  and  our  past 

Prove  Thee  our  guide. 
Our  future,  all  unknown 
We  trust  to  Thee,  alone : 
Since  Thou  art  on  the  throne 

We  safe  abide. 

V. 

God  of  this  hundredth  year; 
Giver  of  all  most  dear; 

Thee  we  adore. 
Thy  wisdom  lights  our  way 
Thy  strength  is  now  our  stay 
Let  goodness  crown  this  day 

Like  those  of  yore. 

Tune  "  America." 


REV.    WILLIAM   CULLEN    TAYLOR 

1905 —     

The  Present  Pastor. 


Centennial  Sermon 


Debts  an&  2>iY>i&en&8 


Rev.   William   Cullen   Taylor. 


A 


(Text  Luke  12-48,  last  clause.) 
"And  to  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall  much  be 
required:   and  to  whom  they  commit  much,  of  him  will  they 
ask  the  more." 

PASTOR  was  once  asked  as  he  stood,  unrecog- 
nized, on  the  corner  of  a  street  where  a  new 
church  edifice  was  being  erected:  "When  will  this 
building  be  completed?"  "In  about  six  months," 
he  replied.  "  Will  the  congregation  be  in  debt?" 
continued  the  stranger.  "Oh,  yes;  awfully,"  ans- 
wered the  thoughtful  man,  "  sometimes  it  frightens  me  to 
think  of  it."  Then  came  the  question,  "  Why  did  you  begin 
when  you  had  not  the  money?"  Again  the  man  of  God  ans- 
wered, "  Oh,  we  have  money  enough,  we  shall  have  no  such 
debt  as  that,  but  think,  think,  how  much  a  church  like  that 
is  going  to  owe  to  the  community  and  to  the  world.  How 
they  will  look  to  us  for  man's  love  and  God's  grace." 

As  I  think  of  our  church  and  society,  with  its  accumulated 
history  of  an  hundred  years,  its  century  of  prayer  and  praise, 
of  giving  and  going,  of  sacred  seed  sowing  and  holy  harvest- 
ing; years  in  which  those  who  have  passed  on  before  you, 
have  brought  their  treasure  and  their  tears,  their  labor  and 
their  life,  and  have  fitly  framed  them  together  into  a  holy, 
spiritual  temple  in  the  Lord,  whose  centennial  anniversary 
you  now  observe,  I  feel  constrained  to  say  to  you  today,  "  You 
are  most  overwhelmingly  in  debt." 

Life  for  life  is  the  principle  of  the  entire  plan  of  redemp- 
tion. In  all  true  conversion,  consecration  and  usefulness,  life 
goes  for  life — life  must  be  sown  if  life  is  to  spring  up.  The 
highest  example  of  this  principle  is  furnished  by  the  Lord  of 
Glory,  who  gave  his  own  life's  blood  in  sublime  cost  and 
payment  for  our  joys  and  privileges. 

A  church  with  a  century  of  history  behind  it  is  in  pos- 
session of  elements  of  strength,  whether  it  recognizes  it  or 
not,  that  cannot  be  disparaged  and  cannot  be  overlooked  It 
may  be  weak  in  financial  ability,  its  enrolled  adherents  may 

11 


be  few  numerically,  but  it  possesses  the  dynamic  power  of 
life:  Seed  life,  that  has  fallen  into  the  ground  and  died,  as  a 
corn  of  wheat;  believing  life,  that  has  embedded  itself  in  the 
soil  of  precious  promises;  sacrificing  life,  that  has  not  with- 
held itself  from  the  earth  of  disagreeable  service,  but  has 
been  willing  to  be  lost  in  the  toil  and  to  be  so  absorbed,  over- 
whelmed and  even  forgotten  in  its  labor  for  God  and  man 
that  it  buried  itself  for  seed,  and  because  it  died  it  abides  not 
alone  but  issues  in  harvests.  Out  of  its  inertness  spring 
throbbings  of  activity;  out  of  its  singleness  appear  blade,  ear, 
and  full  corn  in  the  ear;  out  of  its  seeming  loss  and  ruin 
come  gain  and  reproduction.  You  have  larger,  stronger, 
richer  life  today  because  others  have  laid  down  their  lives, 
others  have  suffered  that  you  might  reign,  others  have  paid 
the  penalty  and  price  and  have  left  you  well  nigh  hopelessly 
in  debt;  and  it  is  the  history  of  the  lives  now  all  out  of 
sight,  hidden  in  the  soil  of  an  hundred  years  that  encloses 
all  the  promise  of  a  new  productiveness. 

If  any  of  you  have  read  the  report  of  experiments 
made  a  few  years  since  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
dynamic  power  of  seeds  you  must  have  been  aston- 
ished at  the  results.  A  tiny  seed  sprouting  under 
a  sidewalk  and  lifting  a  large  flagstone  completely  out  of 
its  place  Is  a  marvelous  illustration  of  the  might  of 
nature's  hidden  life.  But  the  spiritual  forces  that  have  been 
planted  in  the  soil  of  long  ago  have  not  lost  their  germinat- 
ing power.  Cannot  some  of  you  to-day  almost  feel  the  throb- 
bing pulses  of  the  lives  that  were?  Are  you  not  stirred  by 
the  uplifting  voices  of  prayer  that,  though  long  since  hushed, 
seem  to  echo  and  re-echo  about  the  resting  places  of  your 
sleeping  dead?  Is  there  nothing  in  the  past  history  of 
saintly,  sacrificing  lives  that  has  thrilled  your  souls  and  in- 
spired your  hearts  until  it  has  lifted  you,  a  living  power, 
from  beneath  the  flagstone  hindrances  of  your  present  walk 
in  life  and  set  you  forth  a  petaled  blossom  or  a  ripened 
fruit? 

It  is  related  that  Corregio,  as  he  gazed  for  the  first  time 
on  Raphael's  "Saint  Cecelia,"  was  so  stirred  by  the  vision, 
so  uplifted  and  inspired  by  the  conception  of  that  greater 
master  of  painting,  that  he  exclaimed:  "Oh,  thank  God,  I, 
too,  am  a  painter."  As  you,  in  thought  today,  trace  some  of 
the  outlines  of  God's  providence  and  fill  them  in  with  the 
warm,  beautiful  and  varied  colors  of  God's  grace,  until 
the  historic  picture  of  the  century  past  is  laid  in  all  its 
mysterious  beauty  upon  the  canvass  of  your  memory;  then 
seat   yourself    upon    the   Ebenezer    stone,   upon    which    you 

12 


have  already  inscribed,  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us," 
and  as  you  gaze  wonderingly  and  admiringly  upon  the  vis- 
ion, while  all  the  light  of  your  past  sacred  history  shall 
stream  in  to  gild  even  its  glory,  let  your  heart  exclaim: 
"  Thank  God  I,  too,  am  a  Christian,"  and  because  you  are 
a  Christian,  a  Christian  church,  with  a  century  of  Chris- 
tian  history,  you  are  Christian  debtors. 

Under  the  spell  of  Him  who  came  "  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister,"  Paul  struck  out  the  formula  of  his  life — 
"  I  am  debtor,"  and  he  also  wrote  for  others  and  for  us,  "  We 
that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak." 
Every  Christian  enters  the  new  life  immediately  and  over- 
whelmingly in  debt.  When  the  coin  of  his  life  has  been 
stamped  by  the  image  and  superscription  of  Christ,  at  that 
moment  it  is  fit  for  circulation — that  moment  it  is  current 
money  face  to  face  with  debt.  It  is  not  that  the  world  owes 
him,  but  the  bestowments  and  bounties  of  Providence,  ac- 
cumulated perchance  through  years  of  history  together  with 
the  added  endowment  of  riches  of  grace,  cause  the  balance 
to  rush  across  the  ledger  and  the  Christian  is  in  debt.  He 
owes.  He  ought  to  pay.  And  if  it  is  true  that  obligations 
multiply  with  the  flow  of  historic  years — then  because  we 
have  received  the  physical,  intellectual,  pecuniary,  religious 
and  spiritual  accumulations  we  are  debtors. 

Our  text  declares  the  principle  that  possession  requires 
bestowment.  To  whomsoever  much  is  given  of  him  shall 
much  be  required.  Under  this  law  of  divine  economics  some 
Christians  and  some  churches  such  as  ours  need  to  be  incited 
to  heroic  zeal,  that  they  may  put  forth  all  their  energies  to 
pay  their  debts.  We  who  are  strong  in  the  historic  heritage 
of  the  past,  the  ennobling  enthusiasm  of  the  present,  and  the 
precious  promises  for  the  future  OUGHT  not  to  seek  to  shift 
the  responsibility,  but  apply  ourselves  to  discharge  our  in- 
debtedness. Christ  bowed  before  the  authority  of  an  "  ought." 
"  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered."  Ought  not  we  to  pledge 
ourselves  to  an  honest  heroic  effort  to  pay  our  debts? 

A  heathen  father  led  his  little  son  to  the  temple  of  his  God 
and  placing  a  sword  in  one  hand  made  him  lay  the  other  on 
the  bleeding  sacrifice  and  swear  eternal  hatred  to  Rome.  That 
oath  became  the  moulding  force  of  the  boy's  being.  To  hum- 
ble Rome  was  henceforth  the  sole  object  of  his  life.  The 
fertility  of  his  mind,  the  energies  of  his  body,  all  the  enthusi- 
asm of  his  Spirit  was  concentrated  therein.  He  spent  years 
in  discipline;  turned  his  back  upon  ease  and  pleasure,  stud- 
ied the  art  of  war,  trained  soldiers.  At  last  Rome  felt  the 
power  of  his  oath;  a  hundred  thousand  veterans  lay  dead  upon 

13 


the  field,  and  Rome  was  crushed  and  bleeding  under  the  feet 
of  Hannibal  of  Carthage.  Not  in  the  temple  of  a  heathen 
god  but  of  the  Eternal  King,  not  on  a  slain  beast,  but  over 
the  emblems  of  the  broken  body  and  shed  blood  of  our  cruci- 
fied Redeemer;  not  pledged  by  heathen  ancestry,  hut  sum- 
moned to  the  altar  by  the  sacred  voices  of  those  who  "  being 
dead  yet  speak  "  and  also  in  obedience  to  the  trumpet  tones 
of  the  Macedonian  cry  of  a  world's  need — pledge  ye  yourselves 
to  sacred  obligations — The  debt  is  yours. 

Ube  Dtrt&en&s 


But  who  of  you  can  rightly  estimate  all  this  wealth  of 
Providence  and  grace,  accumulating  through  these  one  hun- 
dred years  and  hope  to  pay  it  back  in  quality  or  kind?  A 
hundred  years  of  Christian  debt  if  ordered  to  be  paid  at  once, 
in  tall,  would  bankrupt  any  church.  You  cannot  pay  it  if  you 
would.  Tis  far  too  large  a  debt,  and  then  your  creditors  are 
gone.  Thus  your  debt  becomes  an  investment,  a  trust  fund, 
given  for  your  use,  a  loan  upon  indefinite  time,  a  talent  for 
which  you  are  expected  to  render  usury,  a  heritage  to  which 
you  are  to  add  your  part  and  leave  a  larger  legacy  to  those  who 
follow,  a  capital  or  stock  in  religious  trade,  upon  which  you 
are  expected  to  pay  large  dividends  of  better,  higher  things. 
Those  to  whom  you  owe  the  debt  are  gone.  Those  to  whom 
you  are  to  pay  the  dividends  are  here. 

Holding  up  now  the  thought  of  debtorship — a  conception 
full  of  self-denial,  toil,  faith,  effort,  prayer,  suffering  and 
strife;  full  of  patience,  lifelong,  death-ending;  study  it  earn- 
estly, let  your  heart  he  swayed  by  its  grandeur;  behold  its 
inimitable  majesty;  then  like  one  who  stands  upon  the  race 
course  with  body  forward,  muscles  tense,  nerves  quivering, 
eyes  upon  the  goal,  waiting  for  the  signal,  answer  to  the 
world — •"  As  much  as  in  me  is,"  yea  as  much  as  in  me  can  be 
of  grace,  life  and  power.  I  am  ready,  eager,  anxious  to  press 
to  the  mark;  to  respond  to  God's  high  call  to  the  larger,  on- 
ward, upward  life. 

A  call  for  dividends  is  a  demand  for  increase;  a  requirement 
for  added  increments  of  life;  a  levy  upon  the  earnings  of  the 
present  from  the  investments  of  the  past.     Tennyson  says: 
"  I  held  it  truth,  with  him  who  sings, 
To  one  clear  harp  in  divers  tones; 
That  men  may  rise  on  stepping-stones 
Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things." 

To  these  higher,  better  things,  I  would  call  your  attention; 
and  my  message  is  especially  to  you  upon  whom  in  special 

14 


ways  this  responsibility  devolves.  You  are  in  the  dividend- 
producing  period  of  lite  "  I  call  unto  you,  because  ye  are 
strong,  not  to  dream  dreams,  but  to  see  visions  and  to  gain 
victories." 

I.  I  call  you  to  declare  the  dividend  of  a  hallowed — I  might 
almost  say — a  halo-ed  life.  I  have  no  sympathy  with  the 
conceptions  of  some  artists  who  picture  the  saints  with  a 
nimbus  or  halo  about  their  heads;  but  I  do  believe  there  is 
such  a  thing  as  an  invisible  yet  all  pervasive  atmosphere  that 
softens  and  beautifies  the  life;  changes  the  world  around  us, 
removes  the  commonplace,  and  lights  all  the  way  with  the 
halo  of  the  Master's  presence. 

The  life  that  springs  out  of  the  experiences  and  histories 
of  the  past  ought  to  be  superior  to  the  past.  The  "  now  time  " 
is  a  season  of  special  privilege  and  old  ideals  and  old  am- 
bitions should  fade  away  in  the  glory  of  "  the  light  that  now 
shineth."  A  Christian  who  is  content  to  keep  his  pound  in  a 
napkin,  or  hide  his  talent  in  the  earth,  should  be  ashamed  of 
himself.  To  be  satisfied  with  an  "  average  life,"  or  content 
with  "  former  experiences "  in  view  of  this  sacred  heritage 
is  little  less  than  disgraceful. 

If  we  would  realize  this  more  abundant  life  we  must  learn 
to  discriminate  between  the  workings  of  the  flesh  and  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit.  The  curse  of  many  a  life  and  of  many  a 
church  to-day  is  service  rendered  in  the  energy  of  the  flesh. 

Observe  how  in  our  plans  we  begin  with  our  own  sugges- 
tions and  after  our  plans  have  been  matured  we  turn  to  God 
asking  Him  to  help  in  that  which  we  according  to  our  own 
understanding,  have  originated;  whereas  we  should  have 
waited  for  His  direction,  content  to  let  Him  guide  and  plan, 
while  we  stand  beside  Him  and  hand  Him  the  implements  of 
service,  or  lie  deep  down  beneath  the  roadway — the  wire 
which  shall  carry  His  message  in  His  way. 

Notice  again  how  in  our  way  of  looking  at  our  work  we 
manifest  the  power  of  the  flesh  life.  We  present  ourselves 
as  ready  and  waiting  for  a  chance  to  show  what  we  can  do, 
and  the  friction  of  mere  human  effort  and  ambition  stimu- 
lates our  activity.  The  question  is  not  whether  men  shall 
work  or  not,  but  how  they  shall  work  to  a  purpose.  Some,  like 
Moses  get  too  strong  and  too  impulsive  for  God.  How  memor- 
able is  that  incident  in  the  life  of  Hudson  Taylor  when  God 
spoke  to  him  and  said:  "I  am  going  to  evangelize  inland 
China  and  if  you  will  walk  with  me  I  will  do  it  through  you." 
(See  Phil.  2:   12). 

Observe  once  more  how  the  flesh  life  is  ever  striving  after 
consecration.  Every  month  it  will  say  "  I  want  to  be  more  con- 

15 


secrated  "  and  the  energies  are  incited  to  new  resolves  and 
more  vigorous  efforts  which  are  really  but  determinations  of 
the  flesh  and  can  be  sustained  only  by  the  oft  repeated  ex- 
ercises of  our  own  energy.  True  consecration  must  be  wholly 
of  God.  Dividends  of  higher,  holier  life  are  made  possible 
only  in  union  with  the  Divine  Life.  The  capital  stock  of 
heroic  self-sacrificing  Christian  ancestry  is  great,  precious, 
almost  priceless,  but  the  dividends  of  hallowed — yea  "  halo-ed" 
living  are  declared  only  as  you  trade  with  divine  resources 
and  are  drawing  revenue  from  investments  that  give  returns 
"  according  to  His  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus." — Phil. 
4:  19. 

A  story  is  told  by  S.  D.  Gorden,  about  a  man  who  was  rid- 
ing on  horseback  through  a  bit  of  timber  land  in  one  of  the 
states  of  the  South.  It  was  a  bright  October  day,  and  he 
was  riding  along  enjoying  the  air  and  view,  when  all  at  once 
he  came  to  a  clearing  in  the  trees  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
clearing  an  old  cabin  almost  fallen  to  pieces,  and  in  the  door- 
way of  the  cabin  an  old  negress  stood.  Her  form  was  bent 
nearly  double  with  the  years  of  hard  work;  her  face  dried  up, 
and  deeply  bitten  with  wrinkles,  and  her  hair  white;  and  the 
traveller  called  out  cheerily  "  Good  morning,  Auntie,  living 
here  all  alone?"  and  she  looked  up  with  her  eyes  brighter 
because  of  the  thought  in  her  heart,  and  in  a  shrill  voice  said, 
"  Jes'  me  'n'  Jesus,  Massa."  The  traveller  said  a  hush  came 
over  the  whole  place,  there  seemed  a  halo  about  the  old 
broken  down  cabin  and  he  thought  he  could  see  somebody 
standing  by  her  side  looking  over  her  shoulder  at  him,  and 
His  form  was  like  that  of  the  Son  of  God.  Her  poor  mean, 
limited,  world  had  changed  as  in  a  moment.  She  had  dis- 
covered the  philosophy  of  life.  The  glory  light  was  on  every- 
thing. The  jagged  and  sharp  lines  which  age  had  written  on 
her  face  were  softened  and  smoothed  down  and  the  life  was 
hallowed,  yes  "  halo-ed."  The  loneliness  of  the  woods  was 
changed  by  the  consciousness  of  Her  Master's  presence. 

II.  I  call  you  to  declare  the  dividend  of  better  praying.  Out  of 
the  relationship  of  living  in  His  presence  will  spring  the  de- 
votion of  better  praying.  Not  as  servants  shall  we  seek  our 
pay,  not  even  as  friends  shall  we  importune  for  loaves,  but 
as  children  shall  we  ask  and  receive  from  Him  who  knows 
how  to  give,  for  "  If  ye  then  being  evil,  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your 
Father  which  is  in  Heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that 
ask  Him?"— Matt.  7:11. 

"  I  want  you  to  spend  fifteen  minutes  every  day  praying  for 
foreign   missions,"  said   a  pastor  to   some  young  people   in 

16 


his  congregation.  "  But  beware  how  you  pray,  for  I  warn 
you  it  is  a  very  costly  experiment."  "  Costly?"  they  asked 
in  surprise.  "  Aye,  costly,"  he  cried.  When  Carey  began  to 
pray  for  the  conversion  of  the  world  it  cost  him  him- 
self; and  it  cost  those  who  prayed  with  him  very  much 
Brainerd  prayed  for  the  dark-skinned  savages,  and  after 
two  years  of  blessed  work  it  cost  him  his  life.  Two  stu- 
dents in  Mr.  Moody's  summer  school  began  to  pray  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  more  laborers  into  the 
harvest,  and  lo!  it  is  going  to  cost  America  five  thousand 
young  men  and  women  who  in  answer  to  this  prayer  have 
pledged  themselves  to  the  work.  Be  assured  that  it  is  a 
dangerous  thing  to  pray  earnestly  unless  you  are  willing 
to  help  answer  your  own  prayers.  You  will  find  that  it 
will  cost  you  labor  and  may  be  life.  You  cannot  pray 
aright  and  withhold  your  money.  You  cannot  withhold  your 
children.  Yea,  your  very  life  will  be  no  longer  your  own 
when  your  prayers  begin  to  be  answered. 

A  young  lady  once  asked:  "  Is  it  not  as  well  to  talk  about 
God  as  to  talk  to  God?"  "  Is  it  not  as  well  to  talk  about 
mother  as  to  talk  to  mother,"  was  the  answer.  "No!  no!" 
replied  the  daughter,  "  for  mother  talks  back."  And  so  does 
God.  And  we  do  not  give  time  enough  to  hear  His  answer. 
We  rush  hurriedly  into  His  presence;  we  hustle  and  work 
incessantly,  but  while  we  may  have  expressed  our  desires 
to  God,  we  have  failed  to  ascertain  His  thought  for  us.  In 
the  secret  of  His  presence  our  souls  should  hide,  listen,  wait; 
and  if  we  are  to  bear  the  image  of  the  Master  on  our  face 
we  must  remember  that  such  an  image  never  starts  up  in 
the  lenses  of  the  soul  without  "  time  exposure."  There  are 
no  "  snap  shots  "  in  the  art  of  divine  photography.  Beloved, 
hasten  not,  but  expose  the  sensitive  plates  of  your  inner 
life  to  the  Divine  Light  until  the  image  of  the  Son  of  God 
is  fixed  upon  the  soul  and  shines  out  upon  the  face. 

The  one  hundred  years'  history  of  a  church  born  and 
nurtured  by  prayer  demands  that  the  ever-increasing  divi- 
dends of  prevailing,  sanctifying  prayer  be  faithfully  de- 
clared. 

III.  Once  more  I  call  upon  you  to  declare  the  dividend 
of  better  going.  At  four  different  times  Jesus  picked  out  a 
group  of  men  and  sent  them  on  a  special  errand.  About  the 
middle  of  His  second  year  He  commissioned  twelve  for  a 
special  work.  Six  months  before  His  death  He  chose 
seventy  others  and  sent  them  out  by  twos  as  His  advance 
agents.  On  the  evening  of  His  resurrection  day  He  again 
commissions  ten  men  for  a  special  mission,  and  about  six 
weeks  later — the  last  time  the  disciples  were  with  Jesus — 
He  again  commissions  a  group  of  eleven  men  for  a  special 
service  that  He  wished  them  to  perform.  In  each  of  these 
four  commissions  you  find  the  same  ringing  word — "  Go" — 
"  Go   ye."     A   growing   Christian   is   always   a  going   Chris- 

17 


tian.  A  growing  church  is  always  a  going  church.  "  Go" 
is  the  keynote  of  the  Christian  lite.  A  true  follower  of 
Jesus  Christ  will  have — always  has — must  have — ithe  spirit 
of  "  go"  in  him. 

A  dying  world  is  waiting  for  the  onward  movement  of  a 
hallowed,  earnestly  praying  church.  Missions  is  the  mean- 
ing and  purpose  of  the  church.  Missions  is  the  mission  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  The  great  commission  is  a  sacred  obliga- 
tion. It  tests  our  discipleship.  "  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you."  It  proves  the  sincerity  of  our 
love.  It  is  not  a  request,  but  a  command,  plain,  direct,  inex- 
orable. It  has  nothing  to  do  with  our  inclinations.  Its  au- 
thority cannot  be  disregarded.  We  must  carry  the  Gos- 
pel as  an  evangelizing  agency  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  If 
we  cannot  "  go"  we  must  "  let  go"  or  "  help  go,"  and  the  sac- 
rifice in  "  letting,"  "  helping"  or  "  sending"  ought  to  be 
commensurate  with  the  "  going."  Missions — going  as  those 
sent  of  God — not  apologetically,  but  energetically;  this  is 
the  supreme  purpose  of  every  church,  the  chief  business 
of  every  disciple.  "  The  church  is  the  palm  tree  that  has  but 
one  bud."  The  world  is  her  field;  the  evangelization  of  the 
race  her  object;  to  go  her  cardinal  obligation;  saved  souls 
the  required  dividend. 

In  the  Ashantee  rebellion,  when  the  commander  of  a  cer- 
tain English  troop  was  unwilling  to  select  personally  the  given 
number  of  men  desired  to  undertake  an  extra  hazardous  work, 
he  said  that  he  would  turn  his  back  upon  them  and  ask  every 
man  who  would  volunteer,  to  step  out  one  pace  from  the  line. 
When  he  again  faced  them  the  line  was  unbroken.  "What!" 
he  exclaimed,  "  is  there  not  a  man  among  you  ready  to  volun- 
teer in  this  hour  of  your  country's  need?"  "  If  it  please  you 
sir,"  replied  a  member  of  the  ranks  "  the  entire  company 
has  volunteered  and  every  man  is  a  pace  forward  from  the 
line  on  which  he  stood  before." 

Beloved!  God  calls  for  volunteers.  The  voices  of  the  past 
one  hundred  years  cry  "  Forward."  "  Advance "  is  the 
watchword — to  advance  is  the  only  way  to  secure  the  victor- 
ies already  won. 

What  say  you?  While  to-day  your  pastor's  face  is  turned 
toward  the  past,  shall  it  be  that  when  to-morrow  he  faces 
the  future,  he  shall  find  every  member  of  this  church  a  pace 
ahead,  volunteering  for  a  better  service  than  before,  and  in 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  saying  to  the  Great  Captain  of 
our  Salvation.     Here  am  I— behold  me — send  me. 

What  shall  your  answer  be? 

May  we  not  say  as  Dr.  Matheson  sings 
"O  cross  that  liftest  up  my  head, 
I  dare  not  ask  to  fly  from  thee; 
I  lay  In  dust  life's  glory  dead; 
And  from  the  ground  there  blossoms  red 
Life  that  shall  endless  be." 

18 


REV.  JOHN   MATTOCKS 
1838—1856 


(Sreetings**=©ur  jformer  fIDembers 


We  have  received  a  number  of  letters  from  absent  mem- 
bers and  dear  old  friends  and  wish  we  could  publish  them  in 
full,  every  blessed  one,  but  lack  of  space  renders  this  im- 
possible, so  we  have  been  obliged  to  select  a  bit  here  and 
there  as  best  we  could. 

If  the  writers  could  have  heard  those  letters  read  on  that 
centennial  day  in  the  dear  old  church  of  their  early  love, 
perhaps  they  would  understand  how  much  they  were  appre- 
ciated, and  as  each  familiar  name  fell  upon  our  ears,  mem- 
ory brought  before  us  the  dear  faces  and  voices  so  vividly, 
as  if  they  stood  with  us  in  the  flesh,  and  the  pews  had  other 
occupants  than  those  who  filled  them  that  day. 

Dear  little  Sue  Goodrich  (we  know  it  is  Mrs  Robinson  now, 
but  it  is  not  probable  she  has  "growed")  wrote  us  such  a 
beautiful  letter  that  it  is  hard  to  leave  one  bit  of  it  out.  She 
says:  "When  I  read  the  announcement  in  the  Republican  of 
the  Centennial  celebration  of  the  old  church  in  Keeseville, 
such  a  homesick  longing  came  over  me  to  be  there  once 
again,  it  seemed  as  though  I  could  not  endure  the  thought 
that  I  was  not  to  enjoy  the  privilege. 

Mr.  Hemenway  was  pastor  when  I  first  knew  the  church, 
and  after  he  left  a  wise  Providence  sent  us  Mr.  Butler,  and 
I  remember  his  ordination  and  installation.  I  see  again  his 
first  baptism,  a  beautiful  young  girl  kneeling  before  her 
young  pastor.  The  Father's  hand  since  then  has  been  laid 
very  heavily  on  that  bowed  head.  :Soon  another  from  the 
same  family,  one  very  dear  to  the  writer  came  out  from 
her  young  companions  and  acknowledged  her  risen  Lord. 
And  soon  it  seemed  as  if  the  very  Heavens  had  been  opened 
to  pour  us  out  a  blessing,  sixty  uniting  at  one  time,  a  semi- 
circle extending  across  the  church  and  a  little  later  thirty 
more  were  added.  Is  it  any  wonder  Mr.  Butler  loves  that 
church  and  people?  It  was  like  a  big  harmonious  family, 
all  with  one  accord,  old  and  young,  looking  to  him  as  our 
spiritual  counsellor. 

And  then  the  old-time  picnics!  Down  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river — up  on  Prospect  Hill — and  at  the  river  bend. 

"  Oh  the  tender  grace  of  a  day  that  is  dead, 
Will  never  come  back  to  me!" 

19 


My  name  is  no  longer  found  on  the  Keeseville  church  roll, 
but  my  heart  has  never  withdrawn  its  allegiance,  and  often  I 
am  tempted  to  say  in  the  words  of  the  Puritan  maiden,  Pris- 
cilla, 

"  Kind   are   the  people   I   live  with, 
And  dear  to  me  my  religion, 

But  I  almost  wish  my  self  back  in  Old  Keeseville." 

And  now  I  am  going  to  close  this  letter  with  a  request,  an 
easy  one  to  grant,  or  I  would  not  ask  it.  When  you  close  the 
celebration  may  I  select  the  last  song?  In  memory  of  dear 
Mrs.  Butler,  let  it  be  her  brother's  (Dr.  Rankin)  beautiful 
hymn,  "  God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again." 

We  would  say  to  the  writer  that  the  request  was  granted, 
all  joining  with  heart  and  voice  in  singing  those  tender 
words. 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Adgate  is  another  friend  from  whom  it  is  always 
such  a  pleasure  to  hear  and  we  expected  a  treat  from  her  and 
are  not  disappointed. 

Mrs.  Adgate  writes:  "Both  myself  and  husband  have  a  pe- 
culiar interest  in  the  old  church  as  my  husband's  great  grand- 
father and  my  own  grandfather  were  among  its  founders,  and 
I  think  there  has  never  been  a  time  in  the  hundred  years 
when  there  have  not  been  individuals  of  both  families  among 
its  members.  My  earliest  recollections  are  connected  with 
this  church.  Mr.  Mattocks  was  in  the  pulpit  then  and  I 
remember  that  he  always  preached  an  interesting  sermon 
even  to  a  child,  his  language,  plain  and  simple,  such  as  any 
one  could  understand.  I  suppose  Mr.  Mattock's  long  occu- 
pancy of  the  pulpit  may  be  called  the  golden  age  of  the 
church,  for  as  I  look  back  to  that  time,  it  seems  to  me  there 
were  very  few  unoccupied   pews. 

Mr.  Charles  Morris  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School  and  my  teacher  was  Miss  Josephine  Peabody,  then 
a  beautiful  young  girl. 

I  remember  the  Sunday  morning  when  dainty  and  beautiful 
in  her  white  crape  shawl  and  white  bonnet,  Orpha  Bushnell 
stepped  quietly  out  of  a  front  pew  just  before  the  sermon 
and  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Marsh,  much  to  the  sur- 
prise of  most  people  in  the  church. 

I  remember,  too,  the  day  Mr  Mattocks  came  back  after 
many  years  and  preached  a  sermon  so  full  of  love  and  affec- 
tion that  it  thrilled  us  all. 

Many  are  the  sermons  which  come  to  my  mind,  helpful, 
uplifting,  or  consoling.  I  might  mention  one  by  Rev.  H.  E. 
Butler,  that  most  spiritual  of  ministers.  He  had  been  in  ill 
health  and  had  gone  to  the  seaside  for  convalescence.    When 


REV.   ASA  HEMENWAY 
1S60— 1S64 


he  came  back  to  us  he  was  so  imbued  with  the  splendor  of  the 
sea  and  the  greatness  of  Him  who  made  it,  that  he  preached 
a  sermon,  which  I  for  one,  have  always  remembered. 

How  many  years,  I  wonder,  did  Dr.  Thomas  sit  wrapped 
up  in  his  long  cloak  with  a  black  shade  over  his  eyes,  to 
listen  to  the  Word,  which  needed  a  continual  refreshing  to 
keep  his  courage  up. 

Of  those  who  have  long  since  gone  to  their  reward  some 
have  left  behind  the  memory  of  lives  so  beautiful  and  un- 
selfish, that  they  are  a  continual  incentive  to  good  for  those 
left  behind,  and  today  the  church  in  reviewing  the  hundred 
years  of  its  life  may  chiefly  take  pride  in  the  devoted  and 
unselfish  lives  which  have  been  passed  under  its  influence — 
in  the  pulpit  as  well  as  out  of  it. 

Mrs.  Juliette  Potter  Mattocks  sent  us  her  greetings  and 
then,  which  was  far  better,  decided  to  come  herself.  It  was 
indeed  delightful  to  have  her  with  us  on  this  occasion  and 
her  presence  added  much  to  the  interest  of  the  anniversary. 

Rev.  A.  P.  Bissell,  says,  "  while  the  limitations  of  space 
prevent  my  presence  with  you  in  body  I  shall  be  with  you  in 
thought  and  heart  sympathy. 

Mrs.  Ada  V.  Olcott  writes:  "The  dear  old  church  of  Keese- 
ville  has  always  the  first  place  in  my  affections  and  the  many 
changes  of  an  eventful  life  will  never  efface  its  memory  from 
my  heart.    'God's  love  and  peace  be  with  thee.'  " 

In  a  very  pleasant  letter  from  the  "  Brigham  Sisters  "  (Mrs. 
Goodrich,  Mrs.  Cutler  and  Mrs.  Hazleton),  Mrs.  Cutler  tells 
us  an  interesting  little  incident  of  fifty  years  ago. 

"  Nearly  fifty  years  ago  I,  Sarah  Brigham  Cutler,  came  to 
Anamosa,  Iowa,  and  united  with  the  Congregational  church. 
It  was  then  a  struggling  missionary  church.  Two  years  later 
I  went  back  to  Keeseville  and  found  the  church  had  a  new 
communion  set.  I  asked  that  I  might  take  the  old  one  back 
with  me.  I  was  permitted  to  do  so  and  it  was  very  thank- 
fully received.  Last  summer  I  visited  my  old  home  in  Ana- 
mosa and  found  they  were  still  using  the  same.  It  had  been 
replated  and  looked  very  nice.  An  old  gentleman  and  his 
grandson  united  with  the  church  on  profession  of  their  faith. 
The  hour  seemed  very  sacred  and  solemn  to  me. 

We  had  a  communion  season  using  the  same  service  that 
more  than  a  half  a  century  ago  so  many  of  our  loved  ones 
now  in  glory  joined  with  us  in  using  at  communion." 

We  would  like  to  tell  Mrs.  Cutler  that  very  recently  we 
had  another  new  communion  service,  individual  cups  this 
time,  presented  by  one  of  our  members. 

From  our  dear  Mrs.  Bishop  comes  these  words:  "  My  heart 
and  my  kindest  wishes  will  be  with  you  as  they  always  are, 
and  as  one  of  the  absent  members  I  send  this  message:  The 
Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee  and  make  His  face  to  shine 
upon  thee." 

21 


Rev.  Warren  H.  Landon  from  his  home  in  California  sends 
across  the  continent  his  message: 

"  It  is  hard  to  realize  that  a  generation  has  gone  since  I 
regularly  worshipped  with  you,  but  my  recollections  of  church 
life  and  activities  are  vivid  and  delightful  It  would  be  such 
a  real  pleasure  to  meet  with  you  and  hear  Mr  Butler  preach 
again;  and  Judge  Watson's  voice  would  sound  very  good  to 
me.  May  you  enter  upon  your  second  century  of  church  life 
waiting  on  the  Lord  with  increasing  faith  and  larger  expec- 
tations." 

Through  the  unhappy  mischance  of  a  misdirected  letter, 
Mr.  Fred  P.  Allen  failed  to  receive  his  invitation  to  the  Cen- 
tennial services.  We  regret  this  very  much  as  Mr.  Allen  has 
friends  here  who  remember  him  and  other  members  of  the 
family  and  who  would  have  been  so  glad  to  see  Eim  or  hear 
from  him.  His  father,  Mr.  Anson  H.  Allen,  published  the  first 
newspaper  in  Keeseville,  in   1825,  we  believe. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  he  says,  "  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  re- 
ceive the  invitation  to  the  anniversary  till  too  late.  I  am  very 
much  interested  in  the  old  church  to  which  my  mother  be- 
longed and  to  which  she  took  me  to  Sunday  School  I  might 
perhaps,  have  arranged  to  be  present,  if  not  I  should  surely 
have  sent  my  greeting.  I  remember  so  well  Rev.  John  Mat- 
tocks, who  was  pastor  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  the  good  dea- 
cons, Barnes,  Ticknor,  Adgate  and  Davis,  the  two  latter  hav- 
ing been  my  Sunday  School  teachers.  Judge  Watson,  who 
spoke,  was  a  classmate  of  mine  and  sat  at  the  same  desk 
with  me  at  the  old  Academy.  When  anything  further  of  the 
proceedings  or  addresses  is  published,  I  shall  be  glad  to  se- 
cure them." 

From  all  parts  of  our  country  have  come  to  us  so  many 
messages,  brimful  of  love  for  the  dear  old  church  and  heart- 
longing  to  be  with  us,  that  it  is  hard  to  mention  only  the 
names  of  those  who  so  fondly  remember  the  church  home 
of  their  childhood  and  earlier  years.  Such  greetings  and 
remembrances  have  come  from 

Mary  E.  Comstock,  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Fowler,  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 

Miss  Anna  Fowler,  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 

Mrs.  L.  E.  Goodrich,  Dexter,  Mich. 

Mrs.  Mary  C.  Adgate,  Maywood,  Ills. 

Mrs.  Susan  Fowler  Morgan,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Mrs.  Mary  Andrews  Rowe,  Elgin,  Ills. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Davis  Munroe,  Rutland,  Mass. 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Carleton,  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Miss  Lizzie  McKellou,  San  Jose.  Cal 

Henry  J.  Northrup,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Mrs.  Martha  Arnold  Barnes,  West  Toledo,  Ohio. 

George  A.  Hopkins,  Trumansburg,  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  Emma  L.  Kingsland,  Maywood,  Ills. 

Dr.  Brewer  Mattocks,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

22 


REV.   L.   H.   ELLIOTT 
1881—1884 


(5ueetings^©ur  jformer  pastors 


Four  former  pastors  are  still  living.  Of  these  Rev.  L.  H. 
Elliott  was  the  only  one  present.  He  was  cordially  wel- 
comed by  the  congregation  and  found  not  a  few  among 
them  who  had  known  him  and  served  with  him.  Mr.  El- 
liott assisted  the  present  pastor  at  the  communion  service 
on  Sunday  morning  and  spoke  interestingly  and  helpfully 
on  Monday  afternoon. 

He  recalled  the  experiences  of  the  past  and  the  welcome 
given  him  by  the  church  when  he  came  to  them  as  their  pas- 
tor. He  made  mention  of  several  loyal  and  loving  friends 
who  had  been  of  special  value  to  him;  and  whose  prayers 
and  talks  were  ever  to  be  remembered  as  sources  of  strength 
and  encouragement  to  him  in  his  ministry.  He  referred  touch- 
ingly  to  Deacons  Davis  and  Andrews,  both  of  blessed  mem- 
ory, but  both  gone,  while  another  Deacon  Andrews  is  still 
living  and  doing  grand  service  for  the  church  he  loves. 

The  others  sent  their  written  greetings  which  are  given 
herewith: 


^Letters 


Rev.  C.  R.  Hamlin. 


Hlllsboro  Bridge,  N.  H.,  Oct.  17,  1906. 

My  dear  Foimer  Fellow-Workers, 

And  present  fellow-workers  for  that  matter;  for  are  we  not 
still  engaged  in  the  same  labor,  working  for  and  under  one 
Master  and  pressing  towards  a  common  goal? 
Greeting: 

What  a  splendid  thing  it  is  to  have  kept  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  burning  100  years.  No  one  but  God  knows 
the  full  glory  of  your  record.  How  many  noble  men  and  wo- 
men you  have  sent  out  to  leaven  the  lump  in  other  places! 
How  many  shipwrecks  of  character  your  steady  light  has  pre- 
vented. How  many  pastors'  hearts  your  loving  sympathy 
has  cheered!  The  Master  looks  down  approvingly  upon  you, 
or  rather  is  present  with  you  as  a  loving,  cheering,  inspiring 
force  and  fellowship  on  this  your  first  centennial. 

23 


How  I  wish  I  could  be  with  you,  although  unworthy  the 
honor  of  this  recognition  for  the  temporary  work  I  did.  My 
removal  was  instrumental  under  God  in  His  bestowal  upon 
you  of  your  present  effective  leader  who  seems  near  and 
known  to  me  despite  the  fact  that  I  have  never  met  him. 

My  closing  word  to  you  is  that  loving  message  the  Master 
gave  to  a  church  long  ago,  and  far  away,  but  which  I  am  sure 
has  been  recorded  as  signifying  He  still  repeats  it  to  His 
churches  today  which  are  not  great  in  number,  but  faithful 
and  true. 

Rev.  3:   7-8. 

Grace,  mercy  and  peace  be  with  you  all. 
Faithfully  yours, 
CHRISTOPHER  ROBERT  HAMLIN. 


Rev.  C.  S.  Newhall. 


2627  Piedmont  Ave., 

Berkely,  Calif.,  Oct.  17,  1906. 
Rev.  W.  C.  Taylor, 

Keeseville,  N.  Y. 
Dear  Mr.  Taylor: 

Your  note  of  Oct.  2  reaches  me  in  this  far  away  California 
City  across  the  Bay  from  San  Francisco. 

We  are  too  far  away  to  allow  of  Mrs.  Newhall  and  myself 
being  present  at  your  anniversary  on  the  4th  of  November. 
We  can  only  send  our  greetings  and  good  wishes. 
For  ourselves:  We  are  all  in  good  health. 
The  oldest  son  (Charles)  has  graduated  from  the  Univers- 
ity and  is  at  work  as  chemist  with  the  Pacific  Cement  Co.  at 
Cement,  Cal. 

Luther  is  in  his  senior  year  at  the  University. 
Katherine  is  a  Sophomore  at  the  nearby  Mills  College. 
They  are  all  "grown  up." 

Doubtless  after  the  anniversary  exercises,  or  in  connection 
with  them,  there  will  be  interesting  printed  reports.  We 
shall  be  glad  if  we  can  see  them. 

Sincerely  yours, 

C  S.  NEWHALL. 

24 


REV.   C.  S.  XEWHALL 
1885—1887 


Rev.  H.  E.  Butler. 


To  the  Friends   who   may   gather  at  the   Centennial  of  The 
Congregational  Church,  Keeseville,  N.  Y. : 

In  sending  my  greetings  to  you  at  this  time,  it  will  be  natu- 
ral that  I  should  be  led  back  to  the  beginning  of  my  life 
among  you,  and  that  I  should  speak  with  most  interest  of  those 
persons  and  scones  which  for  almost  seventeen  years  were  so 
closely  interwoven  with  my  life.  I  shall  not,  of  course,  at- 
tempt a  history  of  those  years.  That  has  become  a  part  of 
the  history  of  the  church,  and  will  be  treated  as  it  deserves 
by  one  who  is  fully  competent  to  do  the  work  assigned.  It 
will  therefore  be  to  only  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  inci- 
dents as  they  have  been  impressed  upon  my  memory,  that 
I  shall  direct  your  attention.  The  first  acquaintance  that  I 
had  with  Keeseville  was  begun  by  a  letter  received  at  my 
home  at  Essex,  Vt.,  inviting  me  to  occupy  the  pulpit  on  the 
succeeding  Sabbath  day.  I  responded  saying  that  I  would  do 
so,  and  on  the  succeeding  Saturday  evening  I  sat  on  the 
front  seat  of  "Sam  Cook's"  four  horse  coach,  and  was  gaily 
driven  along  with  others  to  the  door  of  the  Adirondack  Hotel, 
where  before  I  had  a  chance  to  alight,  I  was  met  by  that  man 
with  whom  I  was  afterward  on  the  most  intimate  terms  for 
many  years,  till  he  finally  died  almost  in  my  arms,  and  was 
afterward  carried  out  to  burial  by  the  hands  of  the  many 
friends  whom  he  had  easily  made  as  he  had  passed  along  his 
earthly  ways.  His  name  will,  I  think,  instinctively  rise  in 
your  minds  before  I  mention  it,  Edmund  H.  Garfield.  His 
picture  hangs  upon  the  wall  of  my  room  as  I  write.  I 
never  passed  a  freer  Sunday  than  that.  I  knew  only  one 
man  in  the  audience  and  he  was  a  college  fraternity  brother, 
Hiram  Carleton,  to  whom  I  was  indebted,  as  I  afterward 
learned,  for  an  introduction  to  a  Keeseville  audience.  I  did 
not  think  whether  I  should  please  the  people  or  not.  I  had 
given  myself  to  the  Lord's  work,  and  thought  or  cared  little, 
as  to  where  that  work  should  be  done.  But  besides  this,  I 
was  spending  the  weeks  at  the  dear  home  of  my  boyhood 
from  which  I  had  been  separated  for  seven  years,  and  had 
brought  to  that  home  as  my  wife,  one  in  whose  presence  1 
was  to  be  supremely  happy,  and  who  was  to  be  the  light 
and  life,  and  inspiring  hope  of  that  home  which  I  afterward 
was  asked  to  begin  among  you,  of  this  church. 

I  preached  I  suppose  as  well  as  I  could.  I  stayed  at  the  home 
of  Mr.  Garfield,  and  went  with  him  and  Mr.  Watson  through 
the  Chasm  as  it  existed  in  those  days.    And  then  I  went  back 

25 


to  my  Essex  home  without  the  slightest  anxiety  as  to  whether 
I  should  ever  return. 

But  in  a  few  days  the  request  came  for  me  to  return.  I 
came,  and  I  stayed  for  almost  seventeen  happy  years,  until 
I  felt  that  the  same  Father  who  had  brought  me  to  you  was 
asking  me  to  go  away. 

So  many  things  occur  to  me  as  I  write,  that  I  confess  I  do 
not  know  what  to  select.  If  I  omit  some  of  which  you  think 
I  should  speak,  you  will  pardon  me  I  am  sure.  Sometimes 
the  very  abundance  of  material  causes  one  to  fail  in  a  mental 
effort. 

The  first  person  whom  I  received  into  membership  in  the 
church  was  Miss  Emma  S.  Learned,  at  whose  marriage  to 
Edmund  Kingsland,  and  at  his  burial  and  that  of  her  daugh- 
ter, Kate,  and  her  son,  Edmund,  I  afterward  officiated. 

The  first  child  baptized  was  Mabel  Andrews,  daughter  of 
your  well  beloved  Aaron  and  Martha  Andrews.  Dear  Mabel 
gone  in  the  bright  maturity  of  her  years  to  join  the  many 
waiting  ones  "  over  there." 

My  first  funeral  was  at  the  home  of  Dr.  McLean,  Miss 
Sarah  Minor,  who  had  for  some  time  been  an  inmate  of  their 
home.  My  first  burial  was  of  two  little  children  side  by  side 
in  the  same  casket,  children  of  Mr.  Carpenter,  buried  in  a 
corner  of  the  cemetery  at  Ausable  Chasm.  And  my  first  mar- 
riage was  of  a  couple  whom  I  had  never  before  seen,  who 
came  for  that  purpose  from  Wilmington.  I  easily  remember 
my  fear  at  that  time  that  I  might  make  some  mistake  in  the 
proper  form  and  my  gladness  when  I  found  that  they  were 
not  among  my  regular  parishioners.  I  remember  too  the  de- 
termination which  I  came  to  at  that  time,  not  to  hold  the  Al- 
mighty Father  responsible  for  all  the  matrimonial  joinings 
to  which  I  should  give  an  official  sanction. 

But  I  cannot  go  over  all  the  paths  whither  the  items  just 
named  would  lead.  Funerals  and  weddings  not  only  in 
Keeseville,  but  in  Peru  and  Clintonville,  Ausable  Forks,  Port 
Kent  and  Plattsburgh,  over  winter  drifts  and  under  summer 
suns  such  would  be  your  course  if  I  should  try  to  retrace  all 
our  ways. 

Do  you  remember  Father  Place?  Do  you  remember  his 
prayers  in  the  old  vestry?  Ah,  but  I  must  take  you  into  his 
dying  chamber.  It  was  the  gate  of  heaven  to  me.  I  knelt 
beside  his  bed,  and  in  an  almost  childish  way  asked  the 
Father  to  help  an  old  man  in  his  passing  on  out  of  human 
sight.  And  when  I  had  finished  the  departing  saint  laid  his 
thin  hands  on  my  bowed  head,  and  poured  out  his  own  soul 
to  the  God  whom  he  was  soon  to  see,  asking  His  blessing  to 

26 


rest  on  one  whom  he  called  his  pastor,  and  whom  he  had 
already  learned  to  love  in  his  work.  It  was  as  holy  a  scene 
as  an  old  Bible  describes.  It  was  the  same  God  whom  an 
Apostle  worshipped.  It  was  such  a  blessing  as  a  sainted  old 
patriarch  whose  name  is  written  in  a  holy  book,  asked  to 
descend  upon  his  children. 

Will  any  of  you  I  wonder,  be  reminded  of  the  picnics  and 
Sunday  school  celebrations  we  used  to  attend  in  those  days? 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  get  the  old  "  bunch  "  together  again  and 
go  out  to  Mr.  Goodrich's  or  Deacon  Davis'  or  to  Mr.  Pope's, 
when  the  winter  snow  lies  deep  upon  the  ground?  But  if 
you  do,  please  don't  image  that  Mr.  Pope  is  to  be  obliged  to 
give  you  all,  such  a  nice  pitcher  full  of  sweet  cider  as  he  used 
to  lay  before  his  pastor  and  his  wife  when  we  would  go  there 
to  spend  the  day.  Or  perhaps  you  would  like  to  taste  Mrs. 
Heman  Matthews'  doughnuts,  and  Mrs.  Marsh's  fig  cake  again 
down  at  Baggs'  Grove.  Yes,  and  if  you  will  drop  into  the  old 
parsonage  again  before  it  had  gotten  all  its  modern  improve- 
ments, perhaps  you  could  find  a  piece  of  Mrs.  Macomber's 
pie  left,  or  Mrs.  Arnold's  rice  pudding,  and  possibly  if  you 
timed  it  just  right  the  parson  might  ask  you  to  sit  with  him 
and  his  family  and  take  a  liberal  slice  from  the  last  "spare 
rib"  which  Deacon  Adgate  brought  in  the  day  before.  Or  if 
it  should  suit  you  still  better  we  might  take  a  ride  to  "  Moun- 
tain Home,"  where  I  am  sure  your  appetite  would  demand  a 
liberal  slice  of  Mrs.  Andrews'  "  fried  pork  "  with  its  luscious 
"  milk  gravy."  Or  if  this  was  too  near,  then  I  would  take 
you  to  "  the  Patent "  where  with  the  Tanners  and  the  Walk- 
ers you  could  stretch  yourselves  upon  the  green  grass  and 
eat  of  good  things  to  your  stomach's  content.  Please  do  not 
think  by  this  mention  of  names  that  I  have  reached  the  end. 
I  am  limited  by  your  committee  to  ten  minutes,  and  my  time 
is  now  "  up  "  I  am  sure.  But  though  my  time  is  up,  I  am  not 
done  and  am  going  right  on  as  though  your  chairman's  bell 
had  not  "  called  me  down."  For  I  want  to  tell  you  how  two 
other  events  have  worn  deep  into  my  soul  substance. 

When  I  had  been  preaching  four  years  I  went  one  June  day 
to  a  Presbytery  at  Fort  Covington.  I  was  worn  with  work 
when  I  started  and  did  not  sleep  much  during  the  nights  I 
was  there.  When  after  two  days  I  got  out  of  the  stage  at 
Malone  to  take  the  train,  I  found  I  could  not  move  one  of  my 
feet  very  readily.  When  I  got  to  Plattsburgh,  both  of  them 
were  involved,  and  when  I  reached  home,  I  could  with  diffi- 
culty walk  into  the  house.  That  was  the  beginning  of  an 
illness  which  taxed  the  skill  of  every  physician  in  town,  and 
was  afterward  reported  in  a  medical  journal.  The  paralysis 
kept  on  for  two  or  three  more  days,  when  I  could  move  only 

27 


my  head  slightly  as  it  lay  upon  the  pillow.  I  recall  vividly 
my  feeling  one  night,  that  before  the  morning  should  dawn, 
the  probabilities  were  I  should  not  be  able  to  speak,  if  indeed 
I  had  not  gone  away  from  the  world.  But  I  simply  said  to  my 
Father:  "It  is  in  your  hands  and  care,  do  what  you  think 
best."  And  then  I  slept  as  well  as  usual,  and  waked  in  the 
morning  sure  that  the  crisis  had  come  and  passed.  And  so  it 
had.  But  it  was  months  before  I  began  labor  again.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  men  who  watched  with  me  during  some  of 
those  nights.  Two,  perhaps  three,  of  them  may  be  listening 
now  to  my  words.  And  I  shall  never  cease  to  honor  the 
church,  which  after  the  first  few  weeks  came  to  me  by  its 
committee  and  said,  "  We  don't  want  you  to  worry  about  the 
church  and  the  pulpit,  we  will  take  care  of  it  all,  and  don't 
you  give  it  one  anxious  thought."  And  they  did.  Mr.  Wat- 
son was  the  main  sermon  reader  and  Deacons  Adgate,  Davis, 
Andrews  and  Morris  sustained  by  their  prayers.  Mrs.  Hough- 
ton and  Mrs.  Marsh,  Misses  Thompson  and  Prescott,  yes  the 
whole  host  of  glorious  names  comes  before  me,  and  makes 
me  wish  the  ten  allotted  minutes  were  at  least  lengthened 
to  sixty  minutes.  But  what  I  want  most  to  say  in  this  con- 
nection is  that  not  a  single  man,  woman  or  child  was  lost 
to  the  congregation  by  that  prolonged  trial.  It  was  wonder- 
ful. Everything  went  on  as  usual.  The  pastor's  salary  was 
paid  promptly,  as  when  he  was  doing  full  work.  Ephraim 
rang  the  bell,  Mr.  Wham  opened  the  church  doors,  and  Dr. 
Hopkins  led  his  choir.  It  showed  unmistakeably  that  God 
was  with  His  church.  It  showed  the  temper  and  make  up  of 
the  people.  It  was  a  matter  for  angels  to  rejoice  over,  and 
it  has  drawn  forth  from  him  who  writes  to  you  at  this  hour. 
the  most  profound  and  grateful  thanks  of  his  busy  life. 

And  now,  having  dwelt  upon  these  delightful  scenes,  in 
which  nothing  of  deceit,  but  everything  of  the  most  open 
character  has  been  discovered,  must  I  turn  to  something  quite 
different?  Does  the  common  honesty  which  is  supposed  to 
belong  to  one  who  would  be  a  faithful  chronicler,  demand  that 
I  should  in  my  review  bring  to  your  notice  a  web  of — I  hate 
to  call  it  deceit — but  what  can  I  label  it — which  was  woven 
around  the  parsonage  thirty-two  years  ago,  and  which  will,  I 
think,  in  many  ways  stand  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the 
Congregational  Church?  And  must  I  say  that  in  this  the  name 
of  one  must  be  specially  mentioned,  whom  I  early  learned 
to  love  and  revere,  and  whom  as  I  look  forward  to  the  life 
beyond  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  again  to  meet?  And  shall  I 
say  that  it  involves  not  only  Deacon  Adgate  and  his  family, 
but  as  I  have  reason  to  believe  every  other  man,  woman  and 
child  in  what  was  then  my  loved   and  honored  church   and 


congregation?     Nay,  did  it  extend  still  further  and  were  my 
brothers  in  the  ministry  engaged  in  it,  and  my  many  friends 
outside   of   what   I   called   my   own   church   engaged   in    that 
scheme    to    deceive    an    unsuspecting    young    man,    who    so 
thoroughly   trusted   all   of   them?     Let  me  recall   it  to   your 
memory.     It  was  on  the  fifth  day  of  May,  1874.     A  few  days 
before,  the  parson,  his  wife  and   children,  had  been  invited 
tq  spend  the  day  at  the  home  of  his  beloved  Deacon  Adgate. 
They  had  looked  forward  to  that  day,  for  it  was  to  them  the 
gladdest  anniversary  in  the  life  of  the  parents.    It  took  them 
back  to  the  day  and  the  hour  when  their  lives  had  become 
one,  and  they  had  gone  out  with  a  loving  trust     and  abund- 
ant hope  in  their  hearts  which  had  more  than  been  realized, 
and  which  in  consequence  had  caused  this  day  to  be  observed 
as  the  if  possible  gladest  of  their  lives.     So  when  the  deacon 
drove  up  early  in  the  forenoon,  and  took  them  to  his  home  it 
was   with   a   delight   in   their   hearts,   to   which   the   deacon, 
his  wife,  and  children,  did  their  best  to  contribute.     The  day 
passed   happily.     The   supper   was  eaten  rather  earlier  than 
usual.    But  there  seemed  to  be  no  hurry  on  the  part  of  their 
kind  hosts  to  be  relieved  of  their  guests.    And  the  parson  and 
his  wife,  began  to  suggest  that  it  was  getting  rather  late.    At 
last  the  ride  home  was  begun.     But  what  was  their  astonish- 
men  when  they  came  to  the  parsonage  to  see  it  brilliantly 
lighted  and  the  forms  of  many  people  flitting  before  the  open 
windows.     Yes,  and  there  was  the  voice  of  laughter  and  gay 
song,  as  if  it   was   a  joy  day  to  the  uninvited  ones  within. 
And  in  all  this  the  parson  did  not  discover  the  slightest  ex- 
hibition of  surprise  on  the  part  of  the  deacon.     They  all  went 
in,  and  as  if  it  were  their  own  home  the  uninvited  ones,  wel- 
comed the  usual  occupants  of  the  home  and  soon  invited  them 
to  a  well-laden  table  and  began  to  display  a  succession  of  won- 
derful gifts.     I  said  a  little  time  ago  that  the  conduct  of  the 
Congregational  church  during  their  pastor's  illness  in  '68  was 
wonderful.     He  ought  to  have  been   prepared  for  a  scheme 
of  this   wonderful  sort  which  now  greeted  him,  but  he  was 
not,  and   the  dear  wife  who  had  given   ten  bright  years  of 
her  beautiful  life  to  the  care  of  the  work  with  that  church 
was  equally  surprised,  and  she  who  never  knew  a  thought  of 
deceit  had — she  soon  found — been   made  a  victim.     A  large 
quantity  of  beautiful  crockery  had  been  unloaded  in  her  ab- 
sence at  her  home,  and  bright  beautiful  articles  suitable  for 
either  pleasure  or  use,  had  been  placed  in  almost  every  room 
in  the  house.     And  now  I  cannot  look  at  my  watch  without 
a  possible  reminder   of  the  wish  that  "  my  life  may  be   as 
full  of  happiness  "  as  was  the  contents  of  a  package  handed 
to  me  at  that  time  "  full  of  ticks "  and  last  night  when  I 

29 


could  not  sleep,  and  I  struck  a  match  I  was  reminded  by  the 
little  utensil  in  which  they  were  held,  of  that  old  scene  in  the 
Keeseville  parsonage  so  many  years  ago.  And  now  though 
they  have  been  taught  the  beauties  of  many  years  in  heaven, 
I  do  not  suppose  one  of  the  many  gone  there  from  those  who 
engaged  in  that  "  surprise "  have  ever  had  so  much  as  a 
moments  regret  for  the  part  they  took  on  that  occasion. 

May  I  tell  you  of  another  of  the  surprises  to  which  my 
life  among  you  gave  occasion. 

This  time  it  concerned  a  single  individual,  but  it  was  a 
revelation  of  his  character.  I  had  occasion  upon  a  time  for 
more  money  than  I  had  within  my  reach.  I  had  a  neighbor 
who  it  was  supposed  had  considerable  at  his  disposal.  I  went 
to  him  and  expressed  my  desire,  ending  by  asking  if  he  would 
sign  a  note  with  me  at  the  bank  for  a  hundred  dollars.  He 
heard  me  patiently,  and  then,  at  his  reply  I  confess  I  was 
embarrassed.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  he  could  not  do  it. 
And  then  without  a  suspicion  on  my  part  of  what  was  com- 
ing he  said,  "  No  I  cannot  sign  a  note  with  you.  I  never  do 
that,  but  I  will  let  you  have  a  hundred  dollars  myself."  I 
thanked  him  and  offered  to  sign  a  note  right  then.  "  No,  he 
said,  pay  me  when  you  can,  as  well  as  not,  and  don't  worry." 
My  impression  is  that  he  refused  it  when  I  offered  to  repay. 
You  can  guess  that  his  name  was  Silas  Arnold. 

Do  any  of  you  remember  Aunt  Tamar  or  Ben  Lewis? 
Tamar  so  old  that  a  century  would  not  count  her  age.  And 
Ben,  did  you  know  of  his  last  illness?  I  used  to  visit  him 
often  in  his  humble  home.  One  day  I  discovered  that  he  was 
very  near  his  end.  I  knelt  and  prayed  at  his  bedside. 
"  Marse,"  he  said,  "  I'se  made  my  peace  with  God,  I  ain't 
'fraid  ter  die.  Der  good  Lawd  has  fergiven  my  sins  fer  Jesus' 
sake.  I'm  ready."  And  then  I  saw  there  was  something  more 
that  he  wanted  to  say.  There  was  a  sadness  plainly  visible. 
"  Marse,"  he  said,  "  dere's  one  ting  troubles  me."  "  Tell  it  all 
out  to  me,"  I  said,  "  Well,  Marse,  its  jes  dis,  I  ain't  got  no  good 
close  to  be  buried  in,  deys  all  worn  out."  And  then  I  took  his 
hand  in  mine  and  said,  "  Don't  you  worry  one  bit  I  will  see 
to  that,  you  shall  have  a  good  suit  of  clothes  when  you  are 
to  be  laid  in  the  grave."  The  next  day  he  was  dead,  and  we 
got  him,  perhaps,  the  best  suit  of  clothes  he  ever  had,  and  he 
was  robed  for  the  grave,  and  the  young  men,  some  of  them 
possibly  hearing  this  to-day,  helped  to  carry  his  body  out  for 
its  resting  in  the  grave.  Do  any  of  you  know  where  he  was 
buried?  If  so  won't  you  carry  some  little  flower  and  lay  it 
upon  his  grave  next  spring  when  the  flowers  are  again  in 
bloom,  and  don't  forget  Ephraim  and  Dr.  Thomas. 

30 


So  many  things  occur  to  me  as  1  write  that  I  don't  know 
but  the  best  way  would  be  for  me  to  write  a  volume  of  Keese- 
ville  Tales  to  be  added  to  the  one  already  in  existence. 

But  before  I  am  done  I  want  to  say  a  word  about  the  de- 
lightful fraternity  which  existed  among  the  pastors  of  the 
different  churches  in  Keeseville  during  my  seventeen  years. 
For  a  good  portion  of  the  time  we  had  a  weekly  Monday  min- 
isters meeting  composed  of  the  pastors  of  the  four  Protestant 
churches,  and  this  good  feeling  extended  to  the  Catholic 
churches  as  well.  Some  of  the  good  friends,  which  I  then 
had  were  from  the  Catholic  as  well  as  the  Protestant  church 
and  their  pleasant  memory  continues  to  the  present  time  as 
I  find  every  year  on  my  return. 

I  must  surely  beg  pardon.  My  "  ten  minutes  "  have  gone 
into  twenty  or  more,  and  material  crowds  upon  me,  and 
names  are  calling  to  me  as  if  with  persistent  demand  that 
they  should  be  remembered  on  this  occasion. 

I  must  not  conclude  without  a  sincere  voice  of  praise  to 
Almighty  God  for  the  measure  of  success  He  gave  to  the 
work  of  those  years.  I  began  with  the  feeling  that  I  was 
simply  His  servant,  and  He  my  employer.  The  message  was 
given  me,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  deliver  it.  The  men  and 
women  who  were  there  unsaved  He  bid  me  tell  the  way. 
The  minister's  duty  according  to  the  thought  of  those  old 
times  was  as  simple  as  possible.  It  was  not  considered  neces- 
sary for  him  to  know  how  to  play  golf,  nor  was  it  necessary 
for  him  to  show  his  gracefulness  upon  the  waxed  floor  of  an 
"  assembly "  room.  But  he  belonged  to  the  people  every 
day  in  the  week,  for  whatever  service  he  could  render  in 
making  life  brighter,  better  and  purer.  During  the  years 
we  are  reviewing  two  hundred  and  seven  persons  were  re- 
ceived into  membership  in  the  church.  Of  these  fifty-three 
were  received  in  the  year  1S67  and  forty-six  in  1877. 

A  few  words  more  and  I  am  done.  It  is  with  an  unspeak- 
able sadness  in  my  heart  that  I  attempt  to  speak  them; 
but  it  is  an  act  of  simple  justice  to  the  memory  of  one 
who  thoroughly  gave  her  consecrated  life  to  the  work  God 
had  called  her  to  do  among  you.  She  did  not  share  that 
sentiment  which  in  these  later  years  I  am  hearing  very  often, 
that  the  pastor's  wife  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  pastor's 
work  in  and  among  his  people.  She  gave  her  life  to  the 
church  in  the  fullest  degree,  and  it  is  with  the  feeling 
that  these  greetings  would  be  incomplete  if  I  did  not  add 
hers  to  them  today,  for  I  believe  that  she  is  here  along 
with  the  many  others  who  have  gone  from  your  midst,  and 
that  no  words  of  loving  remembrance  will  be  spoken  by  the 
tongue  of  any  one  present  which  will  contain  more  of  holy 

31 


affection  and  prayer  for  God's  blessing  to  continue  to  rest 
upon  you  than  are  those  which  will  be  heard  in  the  spirit 
stillness  of  your  own  hearts.  And  I  want  to  say  with  a 
profound  thankfulness  in  my  heart  that  whatever  of  suc- 
cess our  common  Father  gave  me  here  or  elsewhere,  I  owe 
under  Him  to  the  woman  He  gave  me  as  my  associate  in 
the  work  of  my  life. 

I  thank  you  again  for  your  generous  appreciation  of  our 
work  in  all  our  years  and  shall  continue  to  pray  God's 
blessing  to  rest  upon  you  so  long  as  I  may  live  here,  and 
when  gone  beyond  we  will  gather  the  old  friends  who  are 
already  gone  and  pray  as  fervently  as  in  the  older  days 
for  God's  love  to  abide  with  you  all  and  bring  you  all  at 
last  safe  to  His  loving  arms. 

Affectionately    yours, 

H.  E.  BUTLER, 


32 


REV.   H.   E.   BUTLER 
1864— 1S80 


Zbc  5ton>  of  a  "fcunbreb  IPears 


•historical  Skctcb 


By  Miss  JusOtaa  Tthomipson. 

O.  F  the  life  of  every  individual,  community  or 
I  nation  there  are  always  two  histories,  the  one  out- 
■  ward  and  visible,  the  other  inward  and  unseen  and 
yet  the  more  important  of  the  two,  since  in  the 
invisible  are  the  springs  and  motives  from  which 
the  actions  and  words  of  the  other  grow  and  make 
their  mark  on  the  world  for  good  or  ill.  So  in  the  story  of  a 
church,  the  unknown  life,  the  souls  awakened,  the  hearts 
renewed,  the  characters  formed,  the  burdens  lightened,  the 
sorrows  sanctified,  the  sweet  memories  of  childhood  as  well 
as  of  olden  years,  this  side  of  the  history  could  it  be  told 
aright  would  be  the  interesting  part  of  to-day's  anniversary, 
but  as  this  cannot  be,  to  give  a  few  facts  and  figures,  mention 
a  few  honored  names  that  have  come  down  to  us  from  the 
past,  is  about  all  that  we  can  hope  to  do. 

We  all  know  that  Calvanism  early  took  deep  root  in  New 
England  where,  as  in  grand  old  Scotland  and  Switzerland  the 
very  spirit  of  religious  freedom  dwells  on  the  mountains  and 
hills,  and  there  it  found  a  congenial  soil  in  which  to  grow  and 
from  which  to  send  its  beneficent  influence  throughout  the 
land. 

Transplanted  thither  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  in 
their  own  lives  what  sacrifice  meant,  men  and  women  who 
had  given  up  home  and  friends  and  worldly  wealth  and  were 
ready  to  give  up  life  itself  for  the  right,  this  creed  moulded 
to  a  large  extent  the  character  of  those  early  American  Colo- 
nies. Those  old  Pilgrim  fathers  and  mothers  were  not  given 
much  to  sentimentalism.  They  were  a  people  of  deep,  earnest 
conviction  and  conscience,  indeed  conscience  was  so  promi- 
nent a  feature  in  Calvinistic  morality  that  John  Quincy  Adams 
called  the  Puritan  colony  of  New  England,  "a  colony  of  con- 
science." They  felt  in  their  inmost  being  that  life  was  short 
and  its  responsibilities  great,  and  their  religion  was  their  life. 
And  so  as  Mr.  Butler  said,  it  was  doubtless  due  to  the  fact 
that  so  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  village  came  from 
New  England  that  a  Congregational  Church  was  so  early 
established   in  this  region.     The  simple  unostentatious   form 

33 


of  worship,  the  intense  devotion  to  the  principles  of  individual 
liberty  and  the  supreme  exaltation  of  the  Divine  Sovereignty, 
elements  which  characterize  that  church,  were  such  as  to 
cling  to  the  hearts  of  those  who  in  early  life  had  received 
them,  and  it  was  not  strange  that  they  could  not  long  be  con- 
tent until  the  church  of  their  early  love  had  been  regularly 
established,  and  thus  only  four  years  after  the  incorporation 
of  the  town  of  Chesterfield,  in  a  log  house  near  Port  Douglass, 
eleven  men  and  women  met  one  day  for  this  purpose. 

In  the  quaint  words  of  the  old  chronicle, 

"Let  it  be  remembered  (and  the  glory  be  the  Lord's)  that 
on  the  fifth  day  of  November,  one  thousand,  eight  hundred 
and  six,  according  to  a  previous  appointment  made  for  the 
purpose,  the  following  persons,  namely,  Matthew  Adgate, 
Samuel  Whitney,  Erastus  Strong,  David  Wright,  Martha 
Strong,  Eunice  Adgate,  Hannah  Adgate,  Nabby  W. 
Strong  Anna  Adgate,  Theodosia  Arthur  and  Ruhama  Leavit 
together  with  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Hovey,  pastor  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  in  Waterbury,  and  Rev.  Jonathan  Hovey,  Jr.,  pastor 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Waybridge,  both  in  the  State  of 
Vermont,  did  meet  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Samuel  Whitney 
in  Chesterfield,  with  a  view  and  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
visible  Church  of  Christ  in  the  said  town  of  Chesterfield. 
That  after  joint  supplication  at  the  throne  of  grace  for  light 
and  divine  assistance,  the  said  Matthew  Adgate,  Samuel 
Whitney.  Erastus  Strong,  David  Wright,  Martha  Strong, 
Eunice  Adgate,  Hannah  Adgate,  Nabby  W.  Strong,  Anna 
Adgate,  Theodosia  Arthur  and  Ruhama  Leavit,  did  severally 
for  themselves  and  publicly  agree  and  sign  in  the  presence  of 
each  other  a  confession  of  their  faith  and  belief  in  the 
Christian  doctrine  and  scheme  of  salvation  as  contained  in 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  or  Sacred  iScriptures  of  truth 
and  did  likewise  at  the  same  time  and  place  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  each  other  and  said  pastors,  agree  and  sign  a  cove- 
nant to  regulate  their  lives,  to  watch  and  care  for  each  other 
as  a  visible  Church  of  Christ  in  the  world." 

Thus  was  born  a  hundred  years  ago  to-day  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Keeseville,  earnest  purpose  and  reverent 
faith  hallowing  its  cradle,  and  have  we  not  a  right  to  believe 
that  the  mutual  covenant  entered  into  on  that  day  received 
the  Divine  approval  and  was  fraught  with  blessings  to  future 
genorations? 

For  several  years  after  the  organization  of  the  church,  these 
members  had  to  depend  on  their  own  resources  for  the  main- 
taining of  public  worship,  and  though  no  people  have  a  higher 
reverence  for  the  ordained  minister  of  the  gospel,  yet  it  was 

34 


quite  in  accordance  with  their  creed  to  feel  that  it  was  per- 
fectly valid  and  regular  for  them  to  call  on  Judge  Adgate  to 
read  a  sermon  and  preside  at  their  meetings  or  Dea.  Sam'l 
Whitney  to  lead  in  religious  services. 

Occasionally  a  missionary  from  the  Vermont  Domestic 
Missionary  Society  came  into  this  New  York  wilderness  and 
would  gather  the  people  together  for  worship  wherever  they 
could. 

Among  these  pioneer  missionaries  were  Rev.  Cyrus  Corn- 
stock,  Rev.  Chester  Armstrong  and  Rev.  Chas.  Gilbert. 

Father  Comstock,  as  he  was  called,  was  one  of  the  remark- 
able men  of  his  day  although  the  region  in  which  he  labored 
occupied  a  very  small  place  on  the  map  of  the  world.  Born 
in  1765,  early  apprenticed  as  a  shoemaker,  but  soon  recogni- 
ing  a  call  to  different  work,  he  entered  as  a  student  the 
Academy  at  North  Salem,  N.  Y.,  and  then  taught  school  for 
six  years.  Prof.  Taylor  Lewis,  in  an  interesting  sketch  of  him, 
entitled,  "My  Old  School  Master,"  says  that  "from  him  I 
learned  my  first  lessons  in  reading  and  spelling,  receiving  at 
that  early  day  an  impression  of  truth  and  goodness  which  has 
never  left  my  memory." 

Mr.  Comstock  studied  for  the  ministry  and  entered  upon 
the  work  of  an  evangelist  under  the  auspices  of  the  Congre- 
gational Society  of  New  England. 

To  preach  in  school  houses  in  remote  settlements,  to 
build  up  feeble  churches,  to  seek  the  neglected  sheep  in  the 
wilderness,  sleeping  often  in  the  rude  cabins  of  those  moun- 
tain regions,  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  poor,  and  to  bring 
comfort  and  encouragement  to  the  lowly,  this  was  his  mission. 
Material  aid  as  well  as  spiritual,  he  brought  these  people, 
having  used  his  money  and  credit  to  save  from  starvation 
many  of  the  inmabitants  of  the  Upper  Ausable  Valley  during 
what  was  known  as  the  "  famine  year,"  1816,  a  year  in  which 
there  was  frost  every  month  and  a  consequent  failure  of 
crops. 

Hon.  Robt.  S.  Hale  said,  "I  came  to  this  county  to  com- 
mence my  law  studies  when  Mr.  Comstock  was  80  years  old 
and  I  could  not  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  simplicity  and 
purity  of  his  life,  his  thoughts,  his  language,  the  absoluteness 
of  his  faith  and  the  saintliness  of  his  character."  His  last 
days  were  spent  on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Lewis,  where  he 
died  Jan.  8th,  1853.  On  the  tablet  which  marks  his  resting 
place  are  these  words:  "He  was  the  father  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Churches  of  this  county,  most  of  which  were  gathered 
by  him  as  a  missionary.  A  faithful  minister,  he  exemplified 
the  Christian  graces  in  a  long  and  useful  life.  He  has  gone 
to  his  reward." 

35 


Rev.  Chester  Armstrong  preached  for  a  time  at  different 
places  in  Chesterfield,  and  after  him  Rev.  Chas.  Gilbert  for  a 
few  months. 

Services  were  held  by  these  ministers  at  the  home  of 
Samuel  Whitney,  in  the  school  house  at  Port  Douglass,  in  the 
school  house  south  on  what  was  then  called  Norton's  hill,  and 
in  school  district  No.  3  near  the  residence  of  L.  B.  Davis,  and 
sometimes  in  summer,  when  the  house  was  too  small  for 
those  who  came  together,  Dea.  Whitney's  barn  became  their 
tabernacle. 

The  earliest  record  of  the  church  in  the  hand-writing  of 
Judge  Adgate,  dates  back  to  1809,  and  it  is  evident  that  even 
in  those  days  there  were  some  who  deviated  from  the  strict 
path  of  Christian  conduct,  and  it  is  also  evident  that  when 
this  did  occur  that  there  were  men  brave  enough  to  expose 
the  wrong  and  rebuke  the  offender. 

During  this  period  Judge  Adgate  and  Mr.  Whitney  officiated 
as  deacons,  and  in  1811  Marcus  Barnes  was  added  to  their 
number  and  later  on,  Curtis  Woodruff,  Joseph  Reynolds, 
Myron  Ticknor,  staid,  sober,  reliable  pillars  of  the  church — 
somewhat  ponderous  in  their  dignity,  perhaps,  but  earnest, 
deliberate,  sincere  men,  hating  evil  and  upholding  the  right 
as  they  saw  the  right. 

Judge  Adgate  came  to  Ausable  Chasm  in  1792,  having  had  a 
large  tract  of  land  granted  him  for  services  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  and  iu  1802  the  whole  territory  comprising  the 
counties  of  Essex  and  Clinton  was  divided  into  but  four 
towns,  Judge  Adgate's  tract,  I  am  told,  lying  mostly  in  Essex 
Co.,  and  thus  although  there  was  no  lack  of  land  for  a  church 
site,  yet  for  some  time  it  was  difficult  to  tell  where  the  inter- 
ests of  the  region  would  finally  center,  as  people  settled  at 
Peru,  the  Union,  Clintonville,  Birmingham  Falls  and  all  about 
before  locating  to  any  extent  in  what  is  now  the  village 
proper,  but  the  fine  water  power  of  the  Ausable  river  was  the 
magnet  which  attracted  them  and  decided  the  matter,  and  as 
saw  mills,  factories  and  other  industries  began  to  appear,  of 
course  men  came  too,  and  Keeseville  continuing  to  grow  in 
importance,  the  place  of  stated  meeting  of  the  church  was 
moved  in  1828  to  the  "Old  Yellow  iSchool  House"  on  "Acad- 
emy Hill." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  first  place  of  worship  of  all 
denominations  in  those  earlier  days  was  located  on  a  hill 

When  the  church  came  to  the  village  it  numbered  fifty 
members,  but  during  that  year  and  the  following  one  it  was 
largely  increased  by  the  addition  of  new  comers  to  the  town. 

Of  course  with  the  growth  in  numbers,  the  question  of  a 
minister  could  not  fail  to  become  one  of  great  interest   and 

36 


importance,  and  accordingly,  after  much  discussion  and  due 
consideration,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Solomon  Lyman, 
which  he  accepted,  and  in  1829  became  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church,  which  office  he  held  till  1S34.  In  1S31-32-33  a  series 
of  "  protracted  meetings  "  were  held  which  resulted  in  large 
additions  to  the  membership. 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Lyman  that  the  people, 
having  had  no  permanent  abiding  place  for  24  years,  decided 
to  build  a  house  of  worship,  and  an  elected  few  from  their 
number  were  authorized  to  find  a  suitable  location  and  appoint 
a  building  committee  to  attend  to  the  business.  This  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Martin  Pope,  John  Brigham,  Henry 
Mather,  Joshua  Aiken  and  Joseph  Reynolds. 

The  work  was  begun  immediately,  and  on  July  15th,  1830, 
the  corner  stone  was  laid.  The  Keeseville  Herald,  our  first 
village  newspaper,  published  by  Anson  H.  Allen,  says  of  this 
event:  "On  Saturday  last  the  corner  stone  of  the  first  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Keeseville  was  laid  with  appropriate 
ceremonies.  The  building  is  to  be  of  the  Gothic  order,  of 
stone,  50  by  70  feet.  Mr.  Lyman  made  an  address  upon  the 
occasion  which  he  has  given  us  for  publication  in  which  he 
said:  "It  is  but  a  few  years  since  this  place  was  regarded  by 
the  passing  traveller  as  too  forbidding  in  appearance  to  be 
selected  for  human  habitation,  but  now  a  numerous  population 
calls  for  those  means,  civil,  literary  and  religious  which  adorn 
and  bless  society."  Mr.  Davis  G.  Moore  of  Danville,  Ills.,  has 
kindly  sent  me  some  pages  from  his  memories  of  this  first 
church  building.  In  1826  his  parents  came  into  this  region, 
bringing  with  them  letters  from  their  old  church  in  New 
Hampshire  to  the  one  here  retaining  their  connection  with  it 
for  half  a  century  or  more,  all  of  their  family  of  ten  children 
having  been  baptised  in  the  old  church  edifice.  Mr.  Moore 
says:  "My  earliest  recollections  are  of  the  old  stone  building, 
a  structure  of  medium  height,  standing  back  from  the  street, 
with  a  considerable  yard  in  front,  its  southern  gable  cur- 
mounted  by  a  bell-tower  and  tall  spire, — with  double  doors  in 
the  center — always  painted  green,  and  a  fan-shaped  fixed 
shutter  over  the  doors. 

The  basement  was  entered  through  a  doorway  on  the  east 
side  and  contained  a  vestibule  and  one  large  audience  room, 
used  for  Sunday  school,  prayer  meetings  and  miscellaneous 
gatherings.  It  certainly  fulfilled  the  scripture  injunction  in 
at  least  one  particular,  it  was  founded  on  the  solid  rock.  My 
own  most  vivid  remembrances  of  the  church  are  connected 
with  that  lower  room;  having  reached  the  mature  age  of 
nearly  five  years,  it  was  decided  that  I  might  attend  Sunday 

37 


school,  and  on  one  Sunday  noon  I  walked  with  fear  and  tremb- 
ling the  length  of  that  room  to  the  seat  of  the  youngest  class, 
a  trip  to  me  then  that  was  greater  than  the  length  of  the 
largest  cathedral. 

In  the  main  audience  room  the  pulpit  was  at  the  north  end, 
raised  several  feet  above  the  floor  and  reached  on  either  side 
by  a  stairway  with  a  railing.  The  singers'  gallery  and  organ 
loft  extended  across  the  south  end  of  the  room,  where  the 
choir,  with  hymn  book  in  one  hand  and  tune  book  in  the  other, 
sent  up  to  heaven  the  united  praise  of  the  whole  congregation, 
the  people  in  the  pews  at  the  same  time  rising  to  their  feet 
and  calmly  turning  their  backs  to  the  preacher,  literally  "faced 
the  music." 

The  pews  of  the  eld  church  were  apparently  planned  to  be 
sufficiently  uncomfortable  to  check  any  tendency  to  drowsi- 
ness during  service,  the  backs  of  the  pews  being  at  right 
angles  to  the  seats  and  the  oval  strip  on  the  top  of  the  backs 
projecting  far  enough  to  warn  the  sitter  against  attempting 
any  position  but  that  of  strict  uprightness. 

The  plastering  was  laid  directly  on  the  stone  walls  of  the 
old  building  and  in  the  extreme  cold  weather  of  our  northern 
winters,  when  the  room  became  thoroughly  warm  (which  did 
not  always  happen)  my  boyish  vision  was  greatly  edified  in 
watching  the  tiny  rivulets  of  melting  frost  which  trickled 
lown  the  walls. 

As  the  building  was  erected  in  the  early  years  of  the  organi- 
zation of  the  society,  its  construction  must  have  cost  those 
pioneers  an  amount  of  labor,  anxiety  and  self-denial  which  we 
of  later  generations  are  quite  unable  to  realize. 

How  many  exhortations  to  shun  the  ways  of  evil  and  lead 
"sober,  righteous  and  godly  lives"  were  given  from  the  pulpit 
of  the  old  building — how  many  earnest,  fervent  prayers  of 
sincere  Christian  men  and  women  went  up  from  within  its 
walls  only  the  great  Master  knows."  The  old  bell  was  sold 
and  may  still  be  doing  duty  somewhere  and  the  weather  vane 
still  shows  "  which  way  the  wind  blows  "  on  the  Horse  Nail 
Co.'s  building  across  the  street. 

When  the  church  edifice  was  completed,  only  four  of  the 
original  members  were  alive  to  enter  it,  and  it  does  not 
require  much  imagination  to  understand  the  joy  of  those 
Christian  hearts  as  they  realized  that  at  last  their  beloved 
church  had  a  home. 

The  society  had  been  organized  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  and  the  record  of  organization  mentions  Joseph  Rey- 
nolds, Joshua  Aiken  and  Wm.  Peters  as  the  first  elected  trus- 
tees, Percival  Morse,  the  first  clerk;  Samuel  Moore,  collector, 
and  John  Brigham,  treasurer. 

38 


The  pastor's  salary  was  fixed  at  $500.  After  Mr.  Lyman 
closed  his  labors  here,  Rev.  A.  D.  Brinkerhoff  was  invited  to 
fill  the  pulpit,  which  he  did  for  four  years.  During  these 
years,  also,  large  numbers  were  added  to  the  membership, 
seventy  uniting  in  one  year. 

A  few  of  the  old  entries  on  the  church  books  about  this 
time  may  be  of  interest. 

Mar.  1830.  At  a  meeting  of  the  society,  Mr.  H.,  a  member, 
was  excused  from  assisting  in  the  support  of  the  gospel,  hav- 
ing given  satisfactory  reasons  therefor. 

Oct.  1S30.  Asa  D.  Moore  was  appointed  collector  for  the 
society  and  voted  that  he  receive  5  per  cent,  of  all  he  may 
collect.  Perhaps  some  of  our  present  day  collectors  would 
vote  for  such  an  arrangement  as  that. 

Oct.  1832.  Voted  that  the  trustees  cause  holes  to  be  cut 
through  the  partition  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house  between 
the  posts  and  that  the  stoves  be  put  up  and  that  the  pipe  from 
them  be  carried  over  the  aisles  and  out  at  the  north  end  of  the 
house. 

Nov.  1832.  Voted  to  levy  a  tax  on  pews  according  to  value 
to  pay  for  stove-pipes,  fuel  and  oil  for  lighting,  and  that  David 
Wait  be  employed  to  teach  a  singing  school,  and  voted  also 
that  T.  A.  Tomlinson,  R.  Keese  and  John  Brigham  be  the 
committee  to  hire  said  singing  master. 

Oct.  1837.  Voted  that  the  thanks  of  the  society  be  pre- 
sented to  Martin  Pope  for  a  donation  of  $500.00,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  wish  of  the  society  was  expressed  that  no  town 
meetings  be  held  in  the  church. 

A  little  later  it  was  voted  that  Joseph  Reynolds  take  the 
care  of  the  church  building,  furnishing  fuel,  lights  and  bell- 
ringing  for  $150  per  annum. 

After  Mr.  Brinkerhoff  left,  the  church  for  a  short  time  was 
supplied  by  different  ministers,  among  them  Rev.  H.  D. 
KitcheH,  afterward  president  of  Middlebury  College. 

Oct.  1838.  "It  was  voted  unanimously  to  give  Rev.  John 
Mattocks  a  call  to  become  our  pastor." 

Justinian  Holden  was  clerk  of  the  church  and  Dea.  Joseph 
Reynolds  chairman  of  the  meeting  by  which  the  call  was 
extended  to  him. 

Mr.  Mattock  had  been  educated  for  the  law  and  a  brilliant 
career  was  open  to  him  in  that  profession  with  his  father,  who 
was  governor  of  Vermont,  but  he  was  converted  and  this 
changed  the  current  of  his  life.  With  characteristic  prompt- 
ness he  turned  to  the  higher  life  to  which  he  felt  the  call,  and 
four  weeks  from  the  time  of  his  conversion  had  begun  his 
study  for  the  ministry.  From  the  very  beginning  of  his 
Christian  experience  he  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the 

39 


work.  Not  long  before  his  death  a  friend  said  something  to 
him  about  daily  consecration.  "Daily  consecration,"  he  said. 
"I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,  I  consecrated  myself  forty 
years  ago,  once  for  all." 

Can  it  be  that  this  is  one  reason  why  so  many  of  us  lead 
such  useless,  fruitless  lives,  the  consecration  is  not  "once  for 
all,"  and  we  so  often  have  to  go  back  to  the  beginning  that 
we  make  no  progress? 

Mr.  Mattocks,  at  the  time  he  came  here,  was  only  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  but  both  by  natural  ability  and  education 
was  well  fitted  for  his  calling,  and  with  youthful  enthusiasm 
devoted  himself  to  it.  He  was  ordained  Jan.  15,  1839,  Rev.  A. 
D.  Brinkerhoff  preaching  the  sermon. 

All  through  his  ministry  his  influence  over  young  men  was 
specially  marked  and  remains  to  the  present  day,  having 
borne  abundant  fruit  in  many  noble  and  useful  lives.  Mr. 
Moore  said  of  him,  "I  knew  but  one  pastor,  that  sturdy  son  of 
Vermont,  Rev.  John  Mattocks,  who  for  eighteen  years  was 
such  a  power  for  good,  not  only  in  his  own  church,  but 
throughout  the  entire  community.  Others  there  were,  but  his 
presence  and  personality  so  completely  filled  my  mind  that  I 
cannot  now  recall  any  other." 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  simple,  direct,  going  straight  to  the 
mark  for  which  he  was  aiming,  never  using  the  sensational  in 
word  or  manner  to  impress  his  hearers. 

He  largely  identified  himself  with  the  interests  of  the  vil- 
lage, especially  those  of  education.  Excelling  as  a  scholar  in 
Natural  Sciences,  it  was  his  custom  to  give  lectures  on  those 
subjects  on  Wednesday  afternoons  at  the  Academy,  which 
was  greatly  indebted  to  him  in  other  directions  also,  for 
co-operation  and  aid.  During  his  pastorate,  the  church  edifice 
having  been  found  too  small  for  the  needs  of  the  congregation, 
was  taken  down  and  the  present  one  erected  in  its  place. 

"Rev.  John  Mattocks,  Joseph  Goulding,  Nelson  Kingsland, 
Oliver  Peabody,  Abram  Kingsland,  Chas.  Morris  and  S.  F. 
Spencer  were  the  building  committee." 

Mr.  Mattocks,  out  of  his  own  private  fortune,  was  by  far  the 
largest  contributor  to  the  expense  of  the  new  building.  The 
contract  for  the  mason  work  was  given  to  Solomon  Townsend, 
and  for  the  wood  work  and  interior  finishing  to  Nelson  Kings- 
land. 

The  church  was  dedicated  Feb.  19,  1852.  While  the  build- 
ing was  in  process  of  erection,  the  Methodists  kindly  offered 
the  pastor  and  people  the  use  of  their  church,  which  offer  was 
gratefully  accepted,  and  Mr.  Mattocks  preached  there  every 
other  Sabbath. 

40 


In  1S56,  after  a  ministry  of  18  years,  Mr.  Mattocks  thought 
best  to  accept  a  call  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  where  the  same  useful  life  was  continued,  till 
death  suddenly  called  him  home,  in  the  sixty-second  year  of 
his  age.  In  a  ministerial  life  of  thirty-seven  years  he  served 
but  two  churches,  eighteen  being  spent  here  and  nineteen  in 
St.  Paul.  Two  hundred  and  eighty  were  added  to  this  church 
during  his  life  here. 

In  1849  Mr.  Mattocks  preached  the  consecration  sermon  of 
Evergreen  Cemetery,  which  sermon,  through  the  courtesy  of 
his  son,  Dr.  Mattocks,  is  one  of  the  most  valued  possessions  of 
the  Ladies'  Auxiliary;  we  have  the  hymn  too,  sung  on  the 
occasion,  also  a  composition  of  Mr.  Mattocks. 

The  church  was  organized  as  a  Congregational  church,  and 
for  many  years  was  connected  with  the  Consociation  of 
Essex  County,  but  in  1S45,  through  the  influence  of  her  pas- 
tor, it  became  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  Champlain, 
and  has  so  remained  ever  since. 

Feb.  1815.  The  Presbytery  addressed  a  circular  letter  to 
those  churches  within  its  bounds,  or  within  the  counties  of 
Essex,  Clinton,  Franklin  and  St.  Lawrence,  which  were  of  the 
Congregational  order,  but  some  of  them  served  by  pastors 
belonging  to  the  Presbytery,  inviting  them  to  join  the  Presby- 
tery under  a  plan  of  union  recommended  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  the  General  Conso- 
ciation of  Connecticut,  the  chief  feature  of  which  was,  that 
each  church  might  send  a  delegate  to  Presbytery  with  all  the 
rights  of  the  eldership  of  that  body,  the  church  in  turn  sub- 
mitting to  Presbyterial  supervision  of  its  acts  and  records. 

The  following  minutes  is  from  the  records  of  the  Presbytery. 

"The  meeting  of  Presbytery  was  held  at  Clintonville,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  4,  1845. 

The  Congregational  Church  of  Keeseville  presented,  through 
the  moderator,  a  request  to  be  taken  under  the  care  of  Pres- 
bytery. Their  articles  of  faith  and  records  having  been  found 
in  order,  the  request  was  granted,  and  Bro.  Justinian  Holden, 
delegate  from  that  church,  took  his  seat  as  member  of  Pres- 
bytery. 

Rev.  John  Mattocks,  pastor  of  the  church,  was  moderator  at 
the  time,  having  been  chosen  Jan.,  1S45. 

To  the  lady  who  was  organist,  for  I  do  not  know  how  many 
years,  somewhere  about  this  time.  Miss  Lucia  Throop,  I  wish 
to  pay  at  least  a  slight  tribute  of  personal  respect  and  affec- 
tion. She  was  my  first  Sunday  school  teacher,  and  I  remem- 
ber her  as  a  woman  of  unusual  independence  of  character, 
decided  opinions  and  fearless  in  the  expression  of  them.  She 
knew  what  she  believed,  as  well  as  in  whom,  and  it  seems  to 

41 


me  as  if  she  were  formed  of  the  stuff  of  which  martyrs  are 
made,  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  would  class  her  among  the 
Puritans  of  England  or  the  old  Covenanters  of  Scotland. 

After  1856,  for  some  months,  the  church  was  supplied  by 
different  clergymen,  and  then  Rev.  John  Young  began  his 
labors  here,  remaining  a  little  over  one  year,  but  that  a  very 
fruitful  one,  as  there  was  a  remarkable  religious  awakening, 
and  eighty-five  were  added  to  the  membership. 

Mr.  Young  was  followed  by  Rev.  Selden  Haynes,  who  in 
Dec,  1858,  was  installed,  filling  the  pulpit  till  Dec,  1860. 

Rev.  Asa  Hemenway  came  to  be  our  minister,  remaining 
with  us  till  May,  1864.  A  saintly  man,  indeed,  was  he  in  all  his 
walk  and  conversation.  His  youthful  strength  and  vigor  had 
been  spent  as  a  missionary  to  Siam,  but  the  quiet,  Christian 
example,  and  the  pure  consistent  life  of  every  day,  had  the 
influence  that  such  a  life  never  fails  to  have.  It  is  a  pleasant 
thought  that  the  same  lips  which  told  us  the  "old,  old  story" 
had  told  it  also  to  the  dusky  sons  of  another  race  far  over 
the  sea,  and  perhaps  beside  the  river  of  life,  some  from  this 
fold  and  some  from  that  distant  one,  together  may  meet  the 
pastor  who  led  them  to  the  cross. 

In  1864,  another  young  man,  fresh  from  the  seminary  at 
Princeton,  came  to  this,  his  first  charge.  A  young  man  of  fine 
scholarship  and  exceptional  ability  as  a  preacher,  and  never 
did  pastor  find  his  way  more  quickly  into  the  heart  and 
affection  of  a  people,  a  place  which  he  has  retained  to  the 
present  day  with  the  few  who  are  left.  Rev.  H.  E.  Butler 
came  well  equipped  for  the  labors  he  had  undertaken.  Heart 
interst  in  the  work,  unusual  reserve  force,  enthusiasm  and 
genuine  affection  for  his  people  made  him  an  ideal  minister. 
The  key-note  of  his  life  was  found  in  the  text  of  his  first  ser- 
mon after  accepting  the  call  extended  to  him,  "For  I  determ- 
ined not  to  know  anything  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and 
Him  crucified." 

Mr.  Butler  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Champlain, 
Jan.  1865,  Rev.  M.  R.  Herrick  of  Malone  preaching  the  sermon 
on  the  occasion,  and  installed  in  Sept.  of  the  same  year,  Rev. 
M.  H.  Buckam ,  President  of  the  University  of  Vermont, 
preaching  the  installation  sermon. 

The  period  of  Mr.  Butler's  pastorate  was  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  in  the  history  of  the  church,  both  spiritually  and 
financially.  There  were  additions  to  the  membership  every 
year  of  his  stay  among  us,  over  two  hundred  in  all,  the  Sab- 
bath school,  so  far  as  the  records  tell,  was  larger  than  ever 
before,  there  was  a  flourishing  young  people's  association  and 
the  various  benevolent  interests  were  liberally  sustained.     Dr. 

42 


Butler,  during  some  of  the  years  among  us  was  paid  a  much 
larger  salary  than  any  other  ever  has  been. 

The  vestry  was  remodelled  at  an  expense  of  over  $700,  and 
on  this  room  $3,500  were  expended  in  changes  and  repairs,  and 
a  parsonage  was  purchased  and  fitted  up  for  the  pastor's  home. 
Dr.  Butler  was  an  encouraging  preacher,  one  who  had  the 
faculty  of  bringing  out  the  best  in  people.  Some  one  has  said, 
"Tell  a  man  that  no  good  which  he  can  do  is  of  any  value  and 
depend  upon  it  he  will  take  you  at  your  word,"  he  never  did 
that.  If  there  was  wrong  to  be  rebuked  it  was  done,  but  if 
there  was  good  to  be  commended,  that  was  also  done.  Then, 
too,  Mr.  Butler  always  gave  his  congregation  the  credit  of 
being  capable  of  understanding  and  appreciating  his  very 
best,  (which  cannot  be  said  of  all  ministers)  and  he  gave  it 
to  us. 

Two  or  three  entries  on  the  church  book  at  this  time  will 
show  the  feeling  of  pastor  and  people  on  some  of  the  ques- 
tions of  the  day,  suggesting  the  query  as  to  whether  we  are 
advancing  along  these  lines  or  retreating. 

During  a  time  of  special  religious  interest  it  was  "Resolved, 
that  in  view  of  the  judgment  of  this  church  in  all  its  past  his- 
tory, and  in  view  of  the  special  circumstances  of  religious 
interest  in  which  we  are  placed,  that  we  deem  it  highly  inex- 
pedient and  directly  calculated  to  produce  harm  for  any  mem- 
ber of  this  church  to  countenance  or  aid  by  presence  or  other- 
wise the  masquerade  ball  soon  to  take  place." 

In  consequence  of  the  above  resolution  the  ball  was  given 
up  by  its  managers. 

April,  1880.  At  a  special  meeting  called  to  consider  the 
relation  of  the  church  to  the  question  of  temperance  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  were  introduced  and  passed.: 

"In  view  of  the  present  aspect  of  the  temperance  cause  in 
this  village  and  the  deep  and  quickened  sentiment  concerning 
it  throughout  the  land,  this  church  feels  called  upon  to  define 
its  position  thereto.  We  do,  therefore,  declare  it  as  our  belief 
that  the  use,  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks  as  a 
beverage  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  God's  word,  is  productive 
of  terrible  evil  and  therefore  a  sin  for  which  a  holy  God  will 
call  them  to  account  who  are  guilty. 

"Without  questioning  in  any  degree  the  right  of  private 
judgment  upon  points  of  public  wisdom  and  prudence,  we  feel 
that  the  time  has  come  when  all  our  members  should  unite 
with  the  most  thorough  determination  to  give  no  sort  of  con- 
sent to,  or  acquiescence  in  this  evil,  but  should  do  everything 
in  their  power  to  uproot  and  destroy  it  as  a  fearful  foe." 

Mr.  Butler  was  with  us  in  some  of  the  trying  scenes  of  the 
civil  war.    Many  of  us  remember  his  sermon  on  the  assassina- 

43 


tion  of  Pres.  Lincoln,  which  was  published  by  request.  This 
church,  with  thousands  of  others  throughout  the  land,  fur- 
nished its  defenders  of  the  flag — Major  Peabody,  Henry  M. 
Mould,  Philip  McLean,  Henry  Northrup  and  Col.  Thomas, 
whose  lifeless  remains  were  brought  here  from  the  filed  of 
battle  for  a  patriot's  burial.  To  that  funeral  service,  held  in 
this  church,  came  such  a  throng  of  men  and  women,  eager  to 
show  their  respect  for  the  dead  soldier,  that  a  great  number 
could  not  even  find  standing  room. 

To  the  home  of  this  pastor  was  brought  his  fair  young  bride, 
and  hearts  were  opened  to  her  also  in  royal  welcome.  She 
received  so  cordially  all  who  came,  and  to  husband  and  child- 
ren she  made  it  the  sweetest  spot  on  earth.  I  see  her  now, 
oh,  so  plainly,  as  she,  with  Mrs.  Houghton,  of  blessed  memory, 
came  to  me  in  the  first  great  sorrow  of  my  life,  came  with 
sweet,  sympathetic  words  and  kindly  help.  I  know  the  pastor 
in  his  western  home  was  very  sure  of  the  sympathy  of  this 
people  when  she  crossed  the  river  to  join  the  little  daughter 
who  had  gone  before.  The  children,  too,  were  born  here,  so 
perhaps  it  is  not  so  strange  that  Dr.  Butler,  during  the  years 
he  has  spent  among  others  who  loved  him,  has  never  lost  his 
interest  in  or  affection  for  the  old  church  and  its  members, 
and  we  hope  the  years  may  be  many  in  which  he  can  still 
return  to  us,  if  but  for  a  few  weeks,  and  that  his  words, 
tender,  helpful  and  comforting  may  exert  all  their  old  time 
influence. 

The  words  of  the  "Country  Parson"  seem  specially  appro- 
priate in  this  case.  "  Oh!  if  the  clergyman  with  less  now  of 
physical  strength,  yet  preaches  with  the  added  weight  and 
solemnity  of  his  long  experience  the  same  blessed  doctrine 
now  after  forty  years  that  he  preached  in  his  early  prime, 
then  I  think  that  even  the  most  doubtful  will  believe  that  the 
principle  and  religion  of  such  men  are  a  glorious  reality!  The 
sternest  of  all  touchstones  of  the  genuineness  of  our  better 
feelings  is  the  fashion  in  which  they  stand  the  wear  of  years." 

Dec.  1S80.  In  spite  of  the  most  earnest  protest  from  the 
whole  congregation,  Mr.  Butler  thought  it  wise,  after  a  min- 
istry of  nearly  seventeen  years,  to  resign  his  charge  here  and 
accept  a  call  to  Jacksonville,  111. 

Dr.  Butler  was  unusually  fortunate  in  the  deacons  associated 
with  him,  but  only  a  word  of  loving  remembrance  can  be  given 
to  them,  only  a  mention  of  names  all  of  which  are  now 
engraven  on  the  tablets  of  the  cemetery. 

Dea.  Marcus  Barnes,  with  the  rich,  ripe  experience  which 
belongs  to  the  aged  Christian,  his  office  as  deacon  dating  back 
to  almost  the  beginning  of  the  church.  Dea.  Daniel  Adgate, 
who  that  ever  heard  that  humble,  reverent  voice  in  prayer,  did 

44 


not  feel  as  if  he  were  in  the  very  audience  chamber  of  the 
Most  High?  Dea.  Jonathan  Davis,  with  the  words  so  often  on 
his  lips,  "If  any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none 
of  his."  Dea.  Cyrus  Andrews,  with  the  quiet,  gentle  influence 
that  so  often  speaks  for  the  Master  louder  than  words,  and 
Dea.  Chas.  Morris,  with  his  saintly  face  and  more  saintly  life, 
a  man  whose  name,  even  to  this  day,  always  comes  first  to  the 
thoughts  and  lips  of  those  who  knew  him,  when  they  would 
think  or  speak  of  a  "perfect  man." 

In  passing,  a  word  of  just  tribute  to  one  other  man,  one  who 
had  charge  of  the  financial  interests  of  the  church,  was  one  of 
its  trustees  and  its  treasurer  for  many  years.  Most  men  when 
they  drop  out  of  life  make  but  a  ripple  upon  the  surface  and 
are  soon  forgotten,  but  the  place  of  Mr.  E.  H.  Garfield  in  this 
society  has  never  been  filled,  though  the  grass  of  thirty  sum- 
mers has  grown  upon  his  grave.  A  business  man,  who,  as  he 
did,  put  the  interests  of  the  church  before  his  own,  is  not  com- 
mon in  this  world.  His  pastor,  speaking  of  him  a  few  weeks 
ago,  said:  'As  I  look  back  upon  the  years  of  his  life  when  I 
was  here,  I  think  he  was  one  of  the  noblest  men  I  ever  knew." 

All  these  gone  from  sight,  but  the  influence  of  such  men 
lives  on  and  is  an  inspiration  to  those  who  still  tarry. 

Rev.  L.  H.  Elliot  became,  by  acceptance  of  the  call  extended 
to  him,  our  minister  in  1881.  A  true  shepherd,  a  man  genial, 
kindly  and  thoughtful  for  the  welfare  of  all  within  his  reach, 
bringing  sunshine  into  the  homes  he  entered,  a  man  too,  with 
the  courage  of  his  convicitions,  denouncing  the  wrong  without 
regard  to  the  consequences.  Mr.  Elliot  was  greatly  interested 
in  mission  work  and  we  used  to  think  he  wanted  a  great  deal 
for  the  cause,  but  oh,  dear,  he  was  in  that  respect,  nothing  to 
what  we  have  now.  Mr.  Elliot  closed  his  labors  here  April, 
1S84,  becoming  the  efficient  and  successful  head  of  the  Ver- 
mont Bible  Society,  which  position  he  has  held  ever  since. 

Following  Mr.  Elliot,  Rev.  C.  S.  Newhall  came  into  our 
church  life  in  1S85,  filling  the  pulpit  for  two  years.  After- 
wards, for  a  time,  a  home  missionary,  now  at  the  head  of  the 
Forestry  Commission  of  California. 

From  Unadilla  in  1887  another  came  to  continue  his  life 
work  with  us  and  a  feeling  of  special  tenderness  comes  with 
thought  of  him  since  in  this  home  he  finished  that  life  work 
and  went  from  the  church  militant  to  the  church  triumphant. 
Everybody  in  the  community  knew  Rev.  A.  C.  Bishop  so  well, 
respected  and  loved  him  so  much  that  the  memory  of  each  will 
bring  before  him  the  character  and  life  of  the  man  better  than 
words  of  mine,  yet  we  are  glad  to  remember  that  he  was  our 
minister  for  sixteen  years,  years  of  devoted  service  to  his 
Master  and   this   people,  years  of   blessed   precept  and  ex- 

45 


ample,  and  sixteen  years  of  more  harmonious  relations  be- 
tween pastor  and  people  could  not  be,  so  free  from  all  the 
friction  often  found  in  that  connection.  As  Dr.  Butler  said  of 
him,  "  He  was  a  man  who  did  not  confine  either  his  labors 
or  his  love  to  his  own  church.  He  was  interested  in  all  that 
made  the  village  better,  a  pleasanter  home,  or  a  happier  rest- 
ing place.  He  had  been  here  so  long  that  everybody  knew 
him  and  so  had  come  to  that  inheritance  which  only  the  pas- 
tor can  attain  who  has  lived  long  enough  in  one  place  for  all 
to  learn  his  ways  and  understand  his  life.  The  modern  pastor, 
whose  average  parish  life  is  only  about  three  years  can  never 
know  the  depth  and  warmth  of  affection  which  grows  up  after 
the  church  and  her  minister  have  become  thoroughly  acquaint- 
ed. Many  a  church  is  suffering  simply  for  lack  of  acquaint- 
anceship with  its  pastor.  It  takes  time  and  patience  and  for- 
bearance, and  the  church  at  Keeseville  is  fortunate  in  the 
possession  of  these  qualities,  more  than  fifty  years  of  its  life 
having  been  passed  in  united  work  with  but  three  men.  It 
is  a  record  of  which  any  people  may  be  proud  and  which  is 
given  to  few." 

The  Christian   Endeavor  Society  was  organized   two  years 
after  Mr.  Bishop  came.    Back  in  1875  a  "  Young  People's  Asso- 
ciation "  was  formed  with  a  constitution  and  regularly  elected 
officers  and  this  constitution  was  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the 
new  society,  but  was  subsantially  the  same  with  the  addition 
of  the  C.  E.  pledge.    Its  first  officers  were: 
C.  M.  HOPKINS,  Pres. 
CLIFFORD  ANDREWS,  Vice  Pres. 
MISS  BESSIE  McLEAN,  Treas. 
MISS  JENNIE  WHITNEY,  Sec. 

The  society  has  been  a  great  help  to  the  young  people  and 
through  them  to  the  church.  For  over  a  year  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Bishop  our  pulpit  was  without  regular  supply  different 
ministers  preaching  for  a  Sabbath  or  two,  and  Rev.  C.  R.  Ham- 
lin for  a  few  months,  meantime  prayer  from  interested  Chris- 
tian hearts  ascended  to  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  that  he  would 
send  us  such  a  man  as  we  needed  and  we  trust  that  it  was  in 
answer  to  that  prayer  that  in  July,  1905,  Rev.  W.  C.  Taylor 
came  into  our  church  life  and  if  we  may  judge  the  future  by 
the  short  past,  no  mistake  was  made  in  this  matter. 

Mr.  Taylor  will  be  the  first  pastor  of  our  second  centennial 
and  we  hope  the  historian  of  future  generations  will  do  him 
ample  justice. 

I  have  spent  much  time  with  the  ministers,  too  much,  per- 
haps you  will  think,  but  is  not  the  life  of  a  church  so  inter- 
woven with  and  influenced  by  the  life  and  character  of  its 
preachers,  that  to  tell  the  story  of  one,  tells  it  of  the  other? 

46 


Given  an  easy  going  careless  minister,  (and  there  are  such), 
and  you  will  soon  have  a  careless,  easy  going,  church.  Of 
course  I  refer  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  ordinary  congrega- 
tion, for  there  is  in  every  Christian  church  a  blessed  "  little 
flock  '*  that  will  hold  fast  to  its  integrity  no  matter  what  the 
environment,  but  the  usual  occupant  of  the  pew  is  very  much 
influenced  by  the  occupant  of  the  pulpit. 

Do  we  differ  so  much  from  the  old  Israelite  who,  when  he 
had  a  good  king  did  that  which  was  right,  and  when  he  had  a 
bad  one  did  that  which  was  evil?  Human  nature  is  very  much 
the  same  in  Jew  and  Gentile  and  so  I  think  it  must  be  due 
to  the  fact  that  we  have  had  so  many  good  ministers,  that 
there  have  been  so  many  good  people  here.  It  is  not  strange 
with  the  pastors  and  Sunday  School  teachers  we  have  had  that 
the  thoughts  of  some  young  men  should  be  turned  to  the  min- 
istry and  we  are  glad  that  we  can  say  that  seven,  who  were 
members  of  this  church  have  entered  upon  that  work  and 
some  of  them  making  their  mark  in  it. 

Curtis  Woodruff,  son  of  one  of  our  earlier  deacons  entered 
the  Episcopal  ministry. 

Joseph  Whitney,  one  of  our  members  in  1S39,  also  gave  him- 
self to  the  work. 

Allen  Page  Bissell,  an  unusually  fine  scholar  is  still  en- 
gaged in  the  Master's  service  at  West  Union,  O. 

Joseph  Cook,  whose  name  is  known  throughout  most  of  the 
civilized  world,  when  a  young  student  at  Keeseville  Academy 
came  under  the  influence  of  Mr.  Mattocks,  was  converted  and 
united  with  this  church  in  1853.  After  completing  his  theo- 
logical course  he  preached  one  year  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  and  then 
turned  his  attention  to  lecturing  and  authorship,  preferring 
these  to  pastoral  work.     Died  1901. 

Henry  O.  Finch,  son  of  Martin  Finch  of  this  village,  after 
finishing  his  course  at  the  University  of  Vermont,  spent  one 
year  in  his  father's  law  office. 

After  conversation  and  prayer  with  his  pastor,  Mr.  Butler, 
he  decided  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  ministry,  completed  his 
theological  course  at  Yale,  became  acting  pastor  at  Guilford, 
Conn.  He  was  not  ordained,  but  was  expecting  soon  to  be, 
when  one  morning  he  was  found  dead  upon  the  beach  near 
his  home. 

This  was  one  of  those  strange  Providences  we  so  often  see 
in  life.  Only  26  years  of  age,  an  unusually  prepossessing 
young  man,  giving  great  promise  of  future  usefulness.  In  the 
one  year  of  his  pastorate  he  had  gathered  a  bible  class  of 
eighty  young  men.  This  class  to  perpetuate  his  memory  or- 
ganized themselves  into  what  they  named  the  "  Finch  Bible 
Class." 

47 


Many  of  us  remember  the  sorrow  felt  in  the  town  when 
the  news  of  the  calamity  reached  us,  and  the  throng  which 
filled  this  room  to  show  their  affection  for  him  and  to  listen 
to  the  loving  words  of  the  pastor,  who  had  welcomed  him 
into  the  church. 

Warren  Hall  Landon,  who  was  principal  of  our  schools  for 
two  years,  was  another  who  went  into  the  blessed  work. 
After  preaching  several  years  at  Portland,  Ore.,  he  entered 
as  professor,  a  theological  seminary  at  San  Anselmo,  Cal. 

Rev.  A.  C.  Ferrin  was  one  of  our  deacons  for  two  years,  and 
very  active  and  efficient  in  the  Sabbath  School.  He  is  now 
filling  a  pulpit  at  Lowell,  Mass. 

We  may  with  gratitude  rejoice,  I  think,  that  there  are  so 
many  men  and  women,  too,  scattered  throughout  the  land, 
who  are  influencing  lives  for  good  and  working  each  in  his 
sphere  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  who  had  themselves  been 
influenced  by  the  truth  as  preached  in  this  church. 

We  know  that  a  Sabbath  School  was  connected  with  the 
church  at  least  as  far  back  as  1828,  for  Deacon  Barnes  said 
he  used  to  ride  five  miles  to  the  "  Old  Yellow  School  House," 
attend  two  services,  morning  and  afternoon  with  a  Sabbath 
school  during  the  intermission,  then  return  in  time  to  attend 
another  in  his  own  district  reaching  home  at  "  early  candle 
light." 

Unfortunately  we  have  no  record  of  its  early  officers  or 
teachers,  the  first  we  do  know  being  in  Mr.  Mattocks'  day. 
He  acted  for  a  time  as  his  own  superintendent,  followed  by 
Gilbert  Thayer,  then  principal  of  Keeseville  Academy.  It  was 
a  flourishing  institution  in  those  days  and  has  always  been 
maintained  as  one  of  the  main  pillars  of  the  church.  It 
reached,  perhaps,  its  greatest  prosperity,  at  least  so  far  as 
numbers  constitute  prosperity,  in  Mr.  Butler's  day,  there  being 
then  over  two  hundred  members  enrolled. 

Among  the  many  faithful,  efficient  teachers  we  have  had, 
there  are  three,  all  of  whom  have  gone  from  earthly  sight, 
who  seem  to  stand  out  with  special  distinctness,  women  of 
culture  and  supreme  devotion  to  the  interests  of  this  church. 
There  was  no  work,  however  difficult,  which  would  promote  its 
welfare  in  any  direction,  but  hand  and  heart  were  ready  to 
undertake  it.  I  speak  of  them  in  connection  with  the  Sabbath 
School  specially  because  it  was  there  we  saw  them  most  often 
and  there,  perhaps,  their  most  permanent  work  was  done. 
Mrs.  Marsh  had  charge  of  the  infant  class  for  years  and  I  am 
sure  lasting  impressions  were  made  on  those  young  minds, 
it  could  not  be  otherwise.  Mrs.  Houghton  and  Mrs.  George 
Kingsland  had  classes  of  young  girls  and  the  memory  of  those 

48 


loved  teachers  and  the  precious  truths  they  taught  will  linger 
with  them  while  life  shall  last. 

The  school  has  something  to  be  grateful  for  in  the  fact 
that  we  have  had  so  many  competent  men  at  its  head  from 
Mr.  Mattocks  down  to  our  present  beloved  superintendent, 
Mr.  A.  C.  Andrews.  Among  those  who  have  acted  in  this  ca- 
pacity we  have  but  a  few  names  recorded.  Mr.  Gilbert  Thayer, 
Joseph  Reynolds,  Deacon  Charles  Morris,  E.  F.  Bullard,  Dr.  F. 
M.  Hopkins,  Edmund  Kingsland  2nd,  after  whom,  thirty  years 
ago  Mr.  A.  C.  Andrews  was  elected  to  the  office  which  he  has 
filled  ever  since  and  which  we  hope  he  will  continue  to  fill  for 
years  to  come.  Mr.  Andrews  ever  since  he  has  been  at  the 
head  of  the  school,  has  given  his  heart's  devotion,  thought  and 
prayer  to  its  welfare  and  from  the  oldest  teacher  to  the 
youngest  child  of  the  infant  class  he  is  loved  and  respected. 

I  do  not  know  when  we  began  to  be  interested  in  missions, 
but  I  think  it  must  have  been  in  our  youth  as  no  church  is 
likely  to  grow  and  prosper  without  such  interest,  but  no 
record  was  kept  of  the  work  previous  to  1867.  Since  that  time 
nearly  $6000  have  been  given  to  home  and  foreign  missions. 

The  ladies  have  a  society  which  was  organized  by  Mrs.  L. 
H.  Elliot  and  which  has  been  maintained  ever  since,  and  mis- 
sion work  is  also  done  in  the  Sabbath  school  and  C.  E.  society. 

Besides  what  is  given  to  missions,  the  church  contributes 
to  the  boards  of  Ministerial  Relief,  Publication,  Education, 
Church  Erection,  The  General  Assembly  Fund  and  Synodical 
Aid. 

A  great  company  has  since  the  beginning  been  connected 
with  us,  109S  members  have  been  on  our  church  roll.  Over 
two  hundred  are  reported  as  buried  here.  Between  four  hun- 
dred and  five  hundred  have  taken  letters  to  other  church 
homes  and  quite  a  large  number  have  neglected  to  ask  for 
such  letters  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  names  are  still 
recorded  here. 

It  is  difficult  to  find  a  stopping  place,  there  are  so  many 
more  it  would  be  so  pleasant  at  least  to  mention.  There  is 
Ephraim  Tenney,  our  old  bell  ringer,  it  seems  as  if  no  sketch 
of  this  church  would  be  complete  without  his  name,  for  no 
more  devoted  lover  of  it  ever  stood  within  its  walls.  John 
Wham,  the  kindly  ol  man  who  was  our  sexton  for  so  many 
years,  the  first  one  I  remember,  and  then  too,  dear  old  Father 
Place,  who  had  Watt's  hymns  from  cover  to  cover  at  his 
tongue's  end  and  never  failed  to  embellish  his  prayers  and 
exhortations  with  some  of  that  immortal  poetry.  I  wonder 
if  the  blessed  old  man  is  singing  them  now? 

There  are  so  many  faces  from  memory's  picture  gallery  that 
come   thronging  before   one— so  many   loving,   helpful   words 

49 


spoken  by  lips  now  silent — so  many  kind,  brave  deeds  of  hands 
now  folded  forever  which  it  is  pain  to  pass  by. 

Our  pastors'  wives,  who  have  always  been  such  a  blessing 
to  this  church  and  have  done  so  much  for  its  prosperity  and 
welfare,  the  voices  of  the  old  choir  and  its  leader  whose  music 
comes  floating  softly  back  sometimes  in  the  quiet  hours  of 
the  night,  and  then  too  the  years  of  patient  unrewarded  ser- 
vice of  our  present  organists,  Mr.  C.  M.  and  Miss  Nellie  Hop- 
kins of  all  these  it  would  be  only  just  to  speak  a  word  of 
grateful  recognition. 

And  thus  we  come  to  the  close  of  our  first  century  of  church 
life,  with  its  successes  and  its  failures,  its  faults  and  mis- 
takes, rejoicing  in  the  good  done,  hoping  for  forgiveness  for 
the  wrong,  bidding  farewell  to  the  years  that  are  gone  with 
something  akin  to  the  sadness  with  which  we  take  leave  of  a 
friend  we  shall  never  see  again,  and  yet  knowing  that  we  can 
look  into  the  face  of  the  future  with  hope  and  courage  since 
the  same  Pilot  will  still  be  at  the  helm. 

I  wish  to  thank  those  friends  who  have  assisted  me  with 
facts  in  the  preparation  of  this  paper  and  especially  am  I 
indebted  to  Rev.  H.  E.  Butler.  Some  thirty  years  ago  or  more 
upon  the  completion  of  extensive  repairs  in  this  room,  Dr. 
Butler  gave  us  a  historical  sketch  of  the  church  down  to  that 
time.  From  that  sketch  with  his  kind  permission  I  have 
quoted  and  as  he  had  sources  of  information  which  I  had 
not  it  was  of  great  use  to  me. 

My  thanks  are  also  due  to  Mr.  Davis  G.  Moore  for  recollec- 
tions of  the  old  church  which  add  much  to  the  interest  of 
the  story. 

"Our  father's  God!  from  out  whose  hand 
The  centuries  fall  like  grains  of  sand, 
We  thank  Thee  for  the  era  done, 
And  trust  Thee  for  the  opening  one. 

"  Oh  make  thou  us  through  centuries  long 
In  faith  secure,  in  love  be  strong, 
And,  cast  in  some  diviner  mould, 
Let  the  new  cycle  shame  the  old!" 


50 


REV.  A.  C.  BISHOP 

1887—1904 


Ibow  tbe  pulpit  looks  from  tbe  pew 

Hon.  W.  C.  Watson. 


My  old  Friends  and  Neighbors: 

I  ask,  How  does  the  pulpit  look  from  the  pew?  And  I  ans- 
wer it  looks  high. 

And  one  reason  why  it  looks  high  is  because  it  is  high. 

The  church  itself  is  high,  literally  and  figuratively. 

This  church,  in  situation,  not  so  high  as  her  sister  churches 
throughout  New  England;  where  the  highest  and  most  in- 
accessible hills  seem  to  have  been  usually  selected  for  the 
site  of  the  village  church.  And  having  been  once  placed  there 
has  been  kept  there  with  that  pertinacity  which  has  always 
characterized  the  obstinate  and  beloved  Yankee.  In  case  of 
these  churches,  why  such  a  site  was  selected  I  am  not  sure. 
Perhaps  because  it  was  a  good  place  to  catch  the  first  sight 
of  a  maurauding  Indian;  perhaps  because,  as  Charles  Lamb 
said  of  the  fir  trees  of  his  boyhood,  it  seemed  to  be  nearer 
Heaven  than  the  surrounding  country. 

But,  whatever  the  reason,  there  she  sits  like  a  city  set  on 
a  hill,  whose  light  cannot  be  hid.  And  her  patient  worship- 
pers, in  theory  if  not  in  practice,  climb  this  unnecessary 
height  every  Sunday:  A  penance,  which  would  have  been 
spared  them  if  the  edifice  had  been  as  wisely  placed  as  this 
building  was  by  the  founders  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Keeseville. 

And  as  we  have  intimated  that  the  pulpit  is  higher  rela- 
tively, than  the  church  itself,  or  at  least  so  regarded  by  the 
pew,  I  shall  not  I  think,  be  considered  irrelevant  in  showing 
how  very  high  the  pulpit  is,  if  I  begin  by  showing  how  high 
the  church  is,  or  how  high  it  has  always  been  regarded  by 
the  community. 

In  respect  to  the  Christian  church  at  large,  I  do  not  suppose 
her  noble  position  in  the  world  cau  be  better  established  than 
by  stating  the  slanders  she  has  received  from  her  enemies. 

They  say  she  is  rich,  or  rather,  that  her  members  are  rich, 
unlike  her  founder  or  his  immediate  followers. 

Well,  Christian  men  are  sometimes  subject  to  that  obloquy. 
A  Christian  man  cannot  be  untrammelled  unless  he  has  been 
thrifty.  A  man  cannot  at  the  same  time  be  empty  and  full 
and  an  empty  bag  cannot  be  made  to  stand  upright.  And  yet 
when  Christian  men  have  been  solicited  to  make  contribu- 

51 


tions  for  feeding  the  starving,  for  founding  libraries,  or  estab- 
lishing colleges,  I  have  never  heard  them  criticised  for  being 
too  rich,  or  complained  of  for  contributing  tainted  money. 

They  say  that  Christians  are  clannish.  Perhaps  they  are. 
But  if  they  were  more  so  they  would  be  better  Christians  and 
better  men. 

If  they  listened  to  the  voice  of  their  Master,  "Forsake  not 
the  assembling  of  yourselves  together  as  the  manner  of  some 
is,"  the  prayer  meeting  would  be  attended  though  the  theater 
was  deserted. 

Theatres  are  built  without  bells. 

It  is  easier  for  most  to  find  the  theatre  than  the  church. 

They  say  the  Christian  Church  contains  hypocrites.  So  it 
does.  Christ  had  twelve  disciples,  and  one  of  them  was  a 
devil.  And  though  a  mild  astonishment  is  expressed  at  find- 
ing one  hypocrite  in  the  church,  none  at  all  is  experienced  at 
finding  a  thousand  of  them  out  of  the  church. 

The  slanders  of  the  Christian  Church  are  innumerable. 

And  what  is  true  in  general  is  true  in  particular.  The 
abstract  and   the  concrete  conform. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  position  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  the  world  is  equally  true  of  the  position  of  this  church  in 
this  community. 

Although  this  is  the  centennial  anniversary  of  this  church, 
I  am  obliged  to  admit  that  I  do  not  recall  distinctly  the  condi- 
tion of  this  church  and  its  surroundings  a  century  ago. 

I  do,  however,  recall  them  half  a  century  ago,  better  than 
I  do  the  events  of  last  week. 

Dear  old  Keeseville  of  that  early  time,  what  a  place  you  fill 
in  my  memory!  In  this  charming  village  my  friends  and 
kindred  lived.  Here  my  boyhood  days  were  spent.  Your 
streets  were  not  so  shady  then  as  now,  but  they  were  busier. 
Then,  as  now.  Poke  o'  Moonshine  loomed  in  the  distance,  so 
did  Fordway  Mountain.  Far  away  sat  old  White  Face  with 
the  snowy  cross  upon  her  breast,  and  near  by  smiled  Prospect 
Hill,  from  whose  rounded  top  it  seemed  to  my  childish  eyes 
we  might  see  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  and  the  glory  of 
them,  and  we  did  see  Lake  Champlain,  white  with  snowy  sails, 
and  the  steeples  of  Plattsburgh  and  Burlington;  and  in  the 
far  north  the  eye  of  faith,  not  mine,  saw  Montreal  and  the 
twin  towers  of  Notre  Dame. 

You  chuckle  headed  boys,  you  smiling  girls,  once  I  knew  you 
all,  now  I  cannot  find  you. 

"You  grew  in  beauty  side  by  side 
You  filled  these  homes  with  glee, 
But  now  you  are  scattered  far  and  wide 
O'er  mountain,  dale  and  sea." 

62 


Dear  old  Keeseville  church,  what  a  place  you  hold  in  my 
heart!  I  recall  you  well  from  turret  to  foundation  stone. 
You  were  built  of  stone,  you  were  built  to  last  a  century,  and 
are  fulfilling  your  mission.  You  were,  and  are,  no  unfit  em- 
blem of  the  Christian  religion  and  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

Of  the  Presbyterian  faith  I  say,  for  if  you  are  a  Congrega- 
tional Church,  you  belong  to  the  Presbytery  of  Champlain, 
and  I  remember,  during  one-fifth  of  your  existence  at  least, 
it  was  said  of  you  that  you  were  a  Congregational  Church 
with  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

Nothing  can  be  mentioned  about  you  in  my  early  days  that 
I  do  not  remember.  Up  in  your  tower  cooed  the  pigeons; 
there  hung  the  bell,  and  with  Bphram  Tenney's  faithful  hand 
on  the  rope  below,  on  week  days,  at  noon,  it  called  the  labor- 
ers of  the  village  from  work  to  dinner,  and  set  the  neighbors' 
dogs  to  rivaling  its  stentorian  notes  with  their  frantic  howls, 
and  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  it  rang  a  curfew,  which  closed 
the  village  stores  and  shops,  and  sent  the  kids,  (in  those  days 
we  called  them  children)  home  to  their  beds — a  duty  which  I 
sometimes  thought  it  ought  to  have  performed  for  their 
fathers. 

And  on  Sundays,  in  those  days,  it  called  us  mornings,  after- 
noons and  evenings,  to  worship,  and  on  Wednesday  evening 
to  prayer  meeting — a  summons  which  then  (different  now  I 
suppose)  was  not  always  obeyed  by  everybody. 

At  irregular  and  uncertain  times,  by  a  custom  which  I  pre- 
sume does  not  now  prevail,  it  stirred  our  souls  to  hear  it 
ring,  for  we  knew  that  some  sick  neighbor  had  gone  to  his 
eternal  rest,  and  we  stood  with  bated  breath  and  parted  lips 
to  hear  it  toll — thrice  three  for  a  man,  twice  three  for  a 
woman,  once  three  for  a  child,  and  then  with  measured  stroke 
and  slow,  it  indicated  the  number  of  the  years  of  their  age. 

Once  I  heard  it  toll  twice  three  and  then  it  gave  twenty- 
nine  strokes,  and  though  long  afterward  I  discovered  that 
"Earth  hath  no  sorrow,  which  heaven  cannot  cure."  I  then 
thought  the  world  had  faded  away  and  all  its  hopes  and 
aspirations  had  gone  from  me  forever.  There  too,  at  a  later 
day,  was  the  village  clock,  whose  brazen  mandates  told  the 
hour,  and  though  not  always  directed  by  the  movements  of 
the  planets,  regulated  all  the  clocks  in  the  country  side,  and 
informed  the  forgetful  sun  of  the  true  hour  for  his  risings  and 
settings. 

Then  below  was  the  great  audience  room  of  the  church, 
where  600  people  could  sit  in  the  pews,  if  they  would,  but 
rarely  did.  There  was  the  organ  loft  and  gallery  where  Dr. 
Hopkins  led  and  our  beloved  friends  sang,  who  now  alas;  are 
members  of  the  choir  invisible. 

53 


And  below  all  was  the  basement,  in  which  was  the  minis- 
ter's study,  and  the  chapel,  where  the  prayer  meetings  were 
held,  and  where  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  I  together,  for  a 
time  preached,  with  our  ministrations  differing  in  some 
respects  from  those  of  the  average  preacher — as  only  one  of 
us  was  ordained,  our  sermons  were  shorter  and  better  and 
we  received  no  pay.  But  candor  compels  me  to  say  that  on 
one  occasion,  after  I  had  read  a  sermon  of  Beecher's,  Deacon 
Andrews  offered  the  closing  prayer,  asking  Almighty  God  to 
enable  us  to  sift  that  sermon  and  keep  what  was  good  and 
throw  the  rest  away. 

But  it  is  not  with  such  predatory  excursions  against  the 
ranks  of  sin,  nor  such  irregular  and  semi  occasional  pulpit 
occupations  that  we  have  now  to  do. 

In  a  general  way  the  pulpit  stands  for  the  minister,  the 
pews  for  the  hearers. 

The  pulpit  is  above  the  pews,  but  not  more  so  in  most 
respects  than  the  minister  is  above  the  hearers. 

In  our  denomination  the  relation  of  the  minister  to  his 
people  has  always  seemed  to  me  somewhat  peculiar.  With 
us,  in  theory,  God  calls  him  to  his  work;  but  unless  some 
church  repeats  the  call,  he  is  a  shepherd  without  sheep  and 
cannot  consider  himself  to  be  effectually  called. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  Congregational  minister  was  a 
power  in  more  respects  than  he  is  now. 

The  New  England  minister  has  led  troops  out  to  battle 
against  the  Indians.  He  has  stood  at  the  poles  on  election 
day,  and  his  frown  has  defeated  one  candidate  and  his  smile 
has  elected  another. 

Business  projects  have  been  begun  or  discontinued  because 
he  approved  or  disapproved  them;  and  maidens  have  rejected 
their  suitors  because  he  directed  them  to  do  so. 

Nothing  but  the  grace  of  God  prevented  him  from  becoming 
a  tyrant,  and  even  that  sometimes  seemed  inadequate  to  the 
task;  for  his  pulpit  was  perhaps  what  it  has  been  sometimes 
called,  "A  Coward's  Castle." 

But  all  that  sort  of  thing  had  passed  away  before  the  cen- 
tennial of  this  beloved  church  began;  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  within  the  time  of  the  oldest  of  us,  in  respect  to  the 
domestic,  or  political  affairs  of  his  parishioners,  any  carping 
criticism  could  fairly  complain  of  the  conduct  of  any  minister 
of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Keeseville.  And  I 
trust  there  has  never  been  a  time  when  it  could  be  said  of  us 
what  was  once  said  by  an  old  friend  of  mine  in  this  com- 
munity, in  respect  to  his  church,  that  he  liked  his  church  bet- 
ter than  he  did  any  other  church,  because  it  never  meddled 
with  politics  or  religion. 

54 


A  preacher  is  not  bound  to  forget  that  he  is  a  man  because 
he  is  a  minister,  nor  bound  to  deny  that  there  are  ways  out- 
side of  any  Christian  church  where  God  is  served  and 
humanity  advanced. 

You  know  that  the  apostle,  John,  once  came  to  our  Lord 
and  said,  "Master  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in  Thy  name, 
and  we  forbade  him  because  he  followeth  not  with  us."  But 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  "Forbid  him  not,  for  he  that  is  not 
against  us  is  for  us." 

There  is  no  good  cause,  not  even  the  cause  of  moral  reform, 
which  is  generally  thought  to  have  nothing  of  Christ  in  it, 
with  which  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  need  be  ashamed  to  be 
identified  However,  no  touch  but  that  of  Christ  has  ever 
been  found  able  to  heal  all  infirmities  and  take  away  all 
diseases;  and  the  minister  of  the  Gospel,  who  in  his  pulpit 
preaches  any  other  doctrine  than  Christ  and  Him  crucified, 
has  attempted  to  substitute  morality  for  religion  and  his  pul- 
pit no  longer  looks  high  from  the  pew 

I  am  far  from  being  of  those  who  hold  that  there  are  dif- 
ferent standards  of  right  and  wrong,  so  that  what  is  wrong 
in  a  priest  is  right  in  a  parishoner;  yet  no  observing  man 
will  deny  that  things  which  may  be  said  or  done  with  pro- 
priety in  the  house  should  not  always  be  published  on  the 
housetop  And  still  the  pulpit  of  that  worldly  minded  min- 
ister, who  does  not  show  by  his  life  and  conversation  that  he 
has  been  with  Jesus,  no  longer  looks  high  from  the  pews. 

The  minister  has  been  engaged  to  preach  the  word  of  life 
and  not  to  set  a  good  example  it  is  true;  and  the  doctrine  of 
some  religious  denominations  has  been  pushed  so  far  as  to 
hold  that  "  a  bad  man  may  be  a  good  priest;"  and  yet  the  pul- 
pit of  that  minister  whose  daily  life  is  not  better  than  the 
daily  life  of  those  around  him,  no  longer  looks  high  from  the 
pews. 

There  have  been  features  in  the  relationship  of  pulpit  with 
pew,  of  pastor  with  people,  which  have  been  very  diverse  in 
diffrent  denominations  of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  theory,  if  not  the  practice,  in  England  and  at  an  early 
day  in  this  country  seems  to  have  been  that  when  once  es- 
tablished it  was  to  be  a  lifelong  relationship;  and  could  no 
more  be  separated  than  husband  and  wife  could  be 

Then  another  great  protestant  denomination  seems  to  have 
made  them  parts  of  a  great  machine;  and  has  held  that  for 
a  period  of  two  years  (now  I  think  extended  to  five  years) 
every  such  relationship  should  cease,  and  every  minister 
should  be  parted  from  his  church  through  the  whole  domin- 
ion of  a  conference;  on  the  ground  that  there  are  in  the 
whole  community  all  degrees  of  able  minister,  and  all  degrees 

55 


of  weak  minister.  And  that  a  church  which  had  had  a  poor 
minister  for  two  years  had  earned  a  good  one,  and  that  a 
church  which  had  had  a  good  one  for  two  years  ought  to 
be  willing  to  transfer  its  good  luck  to  a  less  fortunate  church, 
and  they  have  sometimes  said  that  these  periodic  changes 
were  really  found  to  be  less  frequent  with  them  than  the 
voluntary  changes  made  in  our  church,  and  that  by  reason 
of  being  periodic,  they  were  always  anticipated,  and  were 
therefore  made  without  friction,  producing  no  jealousy  or 
envy  and  not  wounding  the  feelings  of  either  pastor  or  people. 

I  concede  that  there  is  much  force  in  this  reasoning. 

Yet  it  would  seem  to  me  that  it  breaks  down  all  senti- 
ment and  affection  between  the  pew  and  the  pulpit. 

To  insist  on  these  brief  connections  and  certain  separations 
in  the  church  has  some  resemblance,  in  theory  at  least,  to  the 
reasoning  which  would  prevail  if  men  should  say  that  there 
are  all  degrees  of  good  husband  and  good  wife,  and  all  de- 
grees of  bad  husband  and  bad  wife,  so  that  the  members 
of  the  pair  which  had  been  well  mated  ought  to  always  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  exchange  with  a  pair  which  had 
been  ill-mated 

In  this  good  old  church  where  pastors  have  repeatedly 
ministered  in  this  good  old  pulpit  for  close  on  to  a  score  of 
years,  and  sometimes  till  death  did  them  part,  the  doctrine  of 
violent  separation  of  pastor  and  people  will  not  be  likely 
to  prevail. 

What  are  the  duties  of  a  minister?  He  baptizes,  he  mar- 
ries, he  buries,  he  receives  to  the  Lord's  table.  All  his  relations 
with  his  people  and  his  duties  to  them,  are  tender,  sacred  and 
holy,  not  like  those  existing  between  a  modern  shepherd  and 
his  sheep,  who  scares  them  with  his  voice,  who  drives,  but 
never  leads,  who  persuades  them  with  sticks  and  stones,  and 
throws  the  lame  and  the  sick  to  the  dogs. 

But  like  those  between  the  Oriental  shepherd,  and  his  flock, 
who  led  them  and  was  followed  by  them,  who  bore  the  sick 
upon  his  shoulders  and  carried  the  lambs  in  his  bosom. 

And  to  take  the  old  minister  out  of  the  pulpit  is  to  lose 
the  influence  of  a  lifetime — and  to  put  a  stranger  in  his  place 
is  like  substituting  a  hireling  for  the  shepherd  whose  the 
sheep  are  not,  and  whom  they  will  not  follow  for  they  know 
not  the  voice  of  a  stranger. 

"Without  intending  to  speak  slightingly  or  disparagingly  of 
any  other  minister  or  of  any  other  pulpit,  I  must  be  permitted 
to  say  that  I  reckon  this  pulpit  to  be  as  high  as  any  in  the 
land,  and  hold  the  Presbyterian  or  Congregational  minister 
(chips  of  the  same  block  to  my  thinking)  in  learning,  ability 

56 


and  devotion  to  equal  the  same  class  of  ministers  in  any 
other  Christian  Church. 

Brilliant  individual  exceptions  I  have  known — but  I  think 
that  as  a  whole  surely  no  class  of  ministers  in  the  whole 
world  can  be  fairly  said  to  surpass,  if  they  can  to  equal  them. 

Here  in  this  Keeseville  church  will  you  say  today,  that 
you  have  ever  known  one  of  your  ministers,  of  whom,  in  the 
pulpit,  on  the  platform,  or  the  street,  you  have  been  ashamed, 
or  whose  lance  should  be  lowered  before  any  other  of  the 
clergy? 

Perhaps  this  is  partisan  and  spoken  unadvisedly,  but  I 
think  I  shall  be  excused,  here  at  our  family  gathering,  if  I 
should  indulge  in  a  little  buncombe;  and  while  exalting  the 
banner  of  the  Cross  over  every  type  and  symbol,  should  ven- 
ture to  lift  up  the  bonny  blue  banner  of  Presbyterianism, 
which,  having  crossed  the  sea  with  the  Covenanters,  still 
smells  of  the  heather  and  the  Pentlands,  and  waves  as  fresh 
and  fair  today  as  it  did  among  the  sunny  hills  of  France,  or 
the  salt  marshes  of  Holland,  in  those  days  which  tried  men's 
souls,  when  it  cost  something  to  be  a  Presbyterian. 

The  pulpit  looks  high  from  the  pew.  The  minister  looks 
tall  to  the  congregation.  But  the  pulpit  never  looks  so  high 
and  the  minister  never  looks  so  tall  as  he  does  to  us  when 
we  are  children.  The  shepherd  seems  bigger  and  stronger  to 
the  lambs  of  the  flock  than  he  does  to  the  old  sheep. 

Where  the  minister  is  of  the  right  type,  the  child  loves 
him,  he  admires  him,  he  reckons  him  to  be  "  the  glass  of 
fashion  and  the  mould  of  form,"  he  reveres  him,  and  woe  to 
that  minister  who  disappoints  such  expectations,  and  by  his 
hypocracy,  his  frivolity  or  crime  blasts  the  faith  of  childhood 
and  ruins  the  saving  strength  of  his  example. 

Often  the  minister  to  the  reverent  mind  of  the  little  child 
stands  next  to  Deity,  and  perhaps  sometimes  gets  a  little 
nearer  than  that. 

I  remember  a  little  boy  of  four  years  old,  who,  reared  in  a 
rural  home,  had  perhaps  never  seen  a  minister,  and  while 
waiting  with  his  little  companions  to  be  baptised,  gazed  with 
inexpressible  admiration  upon  the  city  clergyman  when 
he  came  out  in  all  his  clerical  splendor  to  perform  his  func- 
tion, and  then  the  little  boy  catching  hold  of  his  older  broth- 
er's hand,  exclaimed  in  an  audible  whisper: 

"Henry  is  that  God?" 

And  indeed  is  it  too  much  to  say  in  a  general  way,  that  the 
only  sowing  of  the  Gospel  seed,  which  is  at  all  likely  to  bear 
fruit,  is  where  it  is  sowed  in  the  heart  of  a  child. 

However  faithful  the  minister,  however  earnest,  however 
eloquent,  when  his  words  are  addressed  to  any  other  than 

57 


the  children  of  the  congregation,  with  an  almost  deadly  uni- 
formity, the  seed  falls  upon  stony  places  or  among  thorns; 
and  the  cares  of  this  world  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches 
choke  the  Word  and  it  becomes  unfruitful  For  though  it  may 
be  said  that  in  rural  churches  it  is  not  often  that  great 
riches  draw  the  minds  of  the  hearers  away  from  Christ,  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  it  is  not  the  greatness  of  the 
riches,  but  the  love  of  them  that  ruin  For  many  of  the  rich- 
est servants  of  the  Lord  have  shown  themselves  the  most 
humble  and  useful — Like  Abraham,  father  of  the  faithful; 
like  Zaccheus,  who  was  rich,  but  humble,  and  Carnegie,  found- 
er of  libraries  and  builder  of  churches 

The  love  of  riches,  the  thirst  and  craze  for  riches,  the  heart 
burning,  the  consuming  rage,  the  frantic  hungering  for  riches 
which  drive  out  from  the  human  heart  all  love  for  God  and 
fellow  man,  is  perhaps  found  oftener  among  those  whom  fail- 
ures have  stranded  and  left  poor  than  among  those  whom 
success  has  blessed  and  fortune  has  enriched. 

It  is  not  in  the  adult  heart  that  the  best  soil  has  been  found 
for  the  planting  of  the  Gospel. 

The  reverence  for  God.  the  innocence  of  our  earlier  years, 
the  trust  and  confidence  of  childhood  are  the  best  conditions 
for  the  beginnings  of  a  Christian  experience  that  has  yet 
been  found 

And  the  day  of  Pentecost  in  the  early  times,  the  blessed 
revivals  which  have  sealed  the  faithful  labors  of  the  stal- 
wart pastors  of  this  church,  when  adults  as  well  as  children 
have  flocked  Into  the  fold  of  Christ,  are  really  only  the  ex- 
ceptions which  prove  the  general  rule. 

Men  and  brethren,  descendants  of  those  noble  men  and 
women,  who  among  circumstances  of  great  labor  and  close 
poverty,  laid  the  foundations  of  this  church  and  congrega- 
tion, let  me  speak  to  you  freely  of  the  Apostle  John,  not  the 
beloved  disciple  John  of  early  times,  but  that  John  Mattocks, 
who  once  filled  this  pulpit  for  near  a  score  of  years,  was  a 
burning  and  a  shining  light  in  this  church,  and  during  all  that 
time  a  leader  in  every  good  work  in  this  community. 

In  my  album  at  home  I  have  the  portraits  of  four  John 
Mattocks,  all  now  dead  but  one.  No.  1  was  an  eminent  law- 
yer and  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Vermont, 
also  at  one  time  Governor  of  Vermont. 

No.  3  was  my  own  friend  and  companion,  who  sat  with 
me  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel  and  listened,  with  more  or  less 
attention,  while  George  A.  Simmons  taught  us  law,  and  No. 
4  was  his  son  whom  I  have  never  known;  while  No.  2  was 
the  first  pastor  of  this  church  that  I  ever  saw,  and  who  surely 

58 


made  this  pulpit  look  as  high  from  these  pews  as  any  occupant 
which  it  has  ever  had. 

I  have  heard  something  of  Jack  Mattocks  when  he  was  a 
student  in  Middlehury  College,  and  so  I  have  heard  some- 
thing of  Saul  before  he  was  called  Paul. 

Mr.  Mattocks  had  a  noble  face,  and  attracted  attention 
everywhere,  whether  walking  about  these  streets,  chatting 
with  everybody  as  was  his  custom,  or  sitting  as  moderator  of 
our  Presbytery. 

The  first  time  I  can  especially  recall  him  was  in  1852,  when 
I  saw  him  standing  on  the  roof  of  this  church,  then  in  process 
of  rebuilding,  describing  the  work  to  some  visitors. 

He  was  something  more  than  the  pastor  of  this  church, 
he  was  the  founder  or  promoter  of  everything  which  he 
thought  would  help  Keeseville  in  the  present  or  the  future. 
He  had  a  genial  manner  that  popularized  him  in  society  and 
gave  him  a  standing  and  influence  not  universal  with  clergy- 
men. 

He  was  handsome  and  attractive.  He  was  manly  himself 
and  loved  manly  traits  in  others.  He  had  the  faculty  of 
bringing  out  the  best  in  everybody  He  was  witty  himself 
and  the  cause  of  wit  in  others. 

Next  to  this  church,  Keeseville  Academy  was  the  apple  of 
his  eye.  For  a  long  period,  without  reward,  or  the  promise 
or  hope  of  reward,  he  addressed  the  students  of  that  school, 
on  part  of  one  afternoon  of  each  week,  and  lived  to  see 
many  of  them  useful  and  some  of  them  eminent  in  various 
walks  of  life.  The  illustrious  clergyman,  Joseph  Cook, 
whom  we  used  to  call  Flavius  Josephus  Cook,  was  once  one 
of  those  students,  and  has  repeatedly  sr.id  to  me  in  his  majes- 
tic manner  "  under  God,  to  John  Mattocks  and  to  one  other 
(whom  he  chose  to  name)  I  owe  all  I  am." 

Before  Mr.  Mattocks  time,  Keeseville  had  a  little  grave 
yard,  over  back  of  where  Ed.  Garfield  used  to  live,  which 
was  overrun  with  weeds  and  briars,  where  the  thin  grave 
stones  from  time  to  time  broke  off  and  tumbled  down,  and 
the  boys  cracked  butternuts  on  the  fallen  monuments.  It 
was  not  a  credit  to  the  village,  and  its  cramped  confines 
were  sure  to  become  inadequate  to  its  needs,  for  the  grave 
yard  grows  though  the  village  decays. 

But  Mr.  Mattocks  had  one  most  unclerical  trait,  he  had  $20,- 
000.  A  useful  characteristic  in  the  founder  of  an  enterprise, 
and  with  his  help  and  under  his  guidance  and  the  aid  of 
everybody,  warmed  up  by  his  contagious  enthusiasm  "  Ever- 
green Cemetery "  was  established,  the  most  charming  rest- 
ing place  for  the  dead  that  northern  New  York  affords. 

59 


The  exquisite  mingling  of  flowing  brook  and  minature  lake, 
of  shaded  grove  and  curving  bank,  of  grassy  mound  and 
blooming  flowers  have  been  evolved  from  that  summer  day's 
work  when  John  Mattocks  led  in  the  consecration  of  that 
God's  acre,  himself  preaching  the  sermon  and  furnishing  the 
hymn  which  the  choirs  of  the  village  sang,  and  which  I  can 
never  hear  or  read  without  emotion. 

Mr.  Mattocks,  like  his  eminent  father,  had  a  legal  rather 
than  a  clerical  mind.  His  student  days  had  been  spent  in 
preparation  for  the  bar,  and  it  was  while  studying  law  after 
his  college  course  was  ended,  that  he  attended  a  revival 
meeting,  and  was  so  sure  that  he  heard  God's  voice  calling 
him  to  the  pulpit,  that  he  obeyed  the  heavenly  call,  and 
turned  from  whatever  forensic  triumphs  he  had  a  right  to 
anticipate,  to  the  comparative  obscurity  of  the  life  of  a 
country  clergyman. 

It  was  thought  by  some  that  his  legal  training  sometimes 
gave  an  indiscribable  dryness  to  his  sermons.  But  he  was 
always  able  to  rise  to  the  height  of  a  great  occasion  and 
his  addresses  to  children  were  masterpieces. 

He  had  learned  of  Christ  and  had  adopted  His  methods, 
and  knew  well  that  analogy,  (even  Bishop  Butler's  analogy 
of  the  Christian  religion)  was  not  proof,  but  illustration.  He 
knew  that  the  parable,  like  analogy,  was  not  intended  to 
prove,  but  to  make  clear,  and  was  demonstration  and  not 
argument. 

Parables  were  our  Lord's  method  of  teaching.  He  taught 
in  parables,  and  without  a  parable  he  taught  not.  The  fowls 
of  the  air,  the  fish  in  the  sea,  the  grass  the  flower,  the 
shepherd  and  the  sheep,  the  sower  and  the  seed,  everything 
in  nature  around  Him.  were  made  by  Him  to  furnish  com- 
parison, to  yield  instruction  and  illustrate  truth. 

And  when  John  Mattocks  talked  to  children,  his  texts  were 
the  things  about  him,  and  one  such  child,  who  has  heard  a 
thousand  sermons  and  forgotten  them  all;  after  more  than 
fifty  years,  will  recall  today  a  parable  of  his. 

It  was  short.  It  was  entertaining.  It  has  been  remembered. 
He  did  not,  like  others,  feed  the  sheep  thinking  he  was  feed- 
ing the  lambs,  but  he  put  their  food  low  where  they  could 
reach  it. 

I  was  a  little  child  in  a  little  Sunday  school  in  a  small  vil- 
lage, and  we  went  with  this  Sunday  School  on  the  little  steam- 
boat "Winooski  "  to  an  excursion  in  a  grove. 

We  landed  at  a  wharf  at  what  was  in  those  days  "  Port 
Jackson,"  but  now  is  "  Valcour,"  where  Joseph  Sibley  has 
built  his  summer  home  and  peppered  and  salted  the  hills 
around  with  little  yellow  houses 

60 


We  were  a  little  school  and  we  knew  it.  A  little  boy,  sup- 
ported on  either  side  by  little  girls  holding  ribbons,  carried  a 
banner  on  which  was  inscribed  the  words:  "By  whom  shall 
Jacob  arise,  for  he  is  small?"  Big  boys  jeered  at  us  and 
said  it  was  plain  that  I  was  Jacob;  because  I  was  small,  they 
stepped  on  my  heels  and  hurt  me  But  Mr  Mattocks  came  and 
stopped  the  persecution  and  led  us  into  the  grove,  where, 
after  grace  was  said,  we  ate  chicken  sandwiches  and  drank 
lemonade  till  a  literary  young  lady  of  the  company  remarked 
that  we  must  have  "  sufficied  our  sufficiency."  Mr.  Mattocks 
then  preached  a  sermon.  Children,  he  said,  Look  around  you 
and  what  do  you  see?  Trees,  Trees,  some  of  them  are  old 
and  some  of  them  are  young,  some  of  them  are  big  and  some 
of  them  are  little,  some  of  them  are  crooked  and  some  of 
them  are  straight. 

Which  do  you  like  best  the  crooked  ones  or  the  straight 
ones?  The  straight  ones.  The  old  crooked  trees  will  never 
be  made  straight — you  cannot  do  it.  No  man  can  ever  make 
them  straight.  God  is  omnipotent,  He  can  do  all  things.  It 
will  not  do  to  say  that  He  cannot  make  these  old  crooked 
trees  straight  again;   but  He  never  will. 

What  a  pity  these  crooked  old  trees  did  not  grow  up  as 
straight  as  the  others!  When  they  were  little  they  were 
straight,  why  did  they  grow  up  crooked?  Something  hap- 
pened to  them  that  gave  them  a  twist.  Perhaps  the  wind 
blew  the  little  tree  over.  Perhaps  a  cow  stepped  on  it. 
Perhaps  a  stone  rolled  on  it.  But,  however  it  occurred,  it  got 
turned  aside  when  it  was  little,  and  now  it  is  grown  up  and 
must  stay  crooked  for  ever. 

Children:  "Youth  is  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord,  the  time 
to  insure  the  great  reward." 

A  bad  boy  will  make  a  bad  man,  and  he  will  be  quite  sure 
to  always  remain  a  bad  man.  Turn  to  God  now,  while  you 
are  young.  Be  good  and  helpful  to  all  about.  Love  Christ, 
who  was  once  a  little  child  like  you,  and  He  will  shield  you 
from  temptation.  He  will  keep  you  from  sin  and  you  will  be 
among  men,  what  that  straight  old  maple  over  in  the  edge  of 
the  grove  is  among  trees,  good  men  and  women  now  and 
happy  forever. 

That  was  a  good  sermon  for  a  child  to  hear  It  must  have 
been,  for  I,  who  forget  many  things,  remember  that. 

And  when  I  see  a  gnarled  and  crooked  tree  now  I  feel  that 
under  other  circumstances  it  might  have  grown  up  fair  and 
straight.  And  when  I  see  men  or  women,  sour,  crabbed, 
vicious  and  criminal,  I  say  they  may  have  been  born  good, 
and   untoward   circumstances,   rather   than    a   wicked    heart 

61 


have  made  them  bad.  I  feel  like  the  saintly  Baxter,  who 
seeing  a  murderer  drawn  out  on  a  sledge  to  be  beheaded  on 
Tyburn  Hill,  exclaimed,  "  But  for  the  grace  of  God,  there  goes 
Richard  Baxter." 

I  thank  John  Mattocks  for  his  parable  and  for  the  wise 
thoughts  he  planted  in  the  heart  of  a  little  ignorant  child  so 
long  ago. 

And  you  of  today  may  be  sure  that  the  pulpit  of  this  church 
with  John  Mattocks  in  it,  seems  to  my  memory  to  have  been 
a  very  high  pulpit  indeed. 

In  conclusion  let  me  say,  This  church  has  lasted  for  a  cen- 
tury and  I  feel  sure  that  it  will  last  for  a  century  more. 

But  who  shall  dare  to  say  that  any  human  institution  will 
endure  for  a  hundred  years?  Who  indeed?  Yet  who  shall 
say  that  it  is  a  human  institution? 

On  communion  days  you  have  heard  the  minister  proclaim: 
"  This  is  the  Lord's  table  and  not  ours  "  and  so  we  may  say 
of  this  church,  "  It  is  God's  church  and  not  ours." 

It  was  established  by  this  power.  It  has  been  preserved  by 
His  Providence.  With  Him  a  thousand  years  are  as  one  day 
and  one  day  as  a  thousand  years. 

What  He  has  done  in  the  past  He  will  do  in  the  future. 

Deacon  Barnes,  Deacon  Davis,  Deacon  Adgate,  Dearon  Mor- 
ris, were  the  deacons  of  my  boyhood.  They  were  all  here 
then.  They  are  here  no  longer,  they  have  passed  away, 
they  have  gone  to  their  reward.  So  have  most  of  their 
contemporaries. 

They  each  in  their  lives  followed  the  Lord  they  loved, 
and  their  Master  will  not  condemn  them  where  their  services 
were  unequal  wheu  their  capacities  were  so;  any  more  than 
you  and  I  would  complain  of  a  pint  cup  because  it  would 
not  hold  a  quart. 

The  Church  still  lives. 
The  Church  still  lives, 
for  deacons  come  and  deacons  go,  but  the  Church  of  Christ 
lives  on  forever. 

Great  antiquity  has  been  claimed  for  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Learned  men  have  said  that  the  Apostle  Timothy 
was  ordained  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery, 
and  some  scholars  have  even  contended  that  in  every  essen- 
tial respect  that  church  conformed  to  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  today.  That  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock  and  had 
the  promise  of  our  Lord  himself  that  the  gates  of  hell  should 
not  prevail  against  it. 

But  from  the  discussion  of  these  learned  points  of  contro- 
versy a  layman  may  well  refrain. 

62 


And  yet  shall  we  not  venture  to  entrust  for  another  cen- 
tury to  Almighty  God  the  destinies  of  this  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Keeseville,  and  dare  to  hope  that  pastor 
and  people  will  then,  as  now  be  found  faithful  to  each  other, 
so  that  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  two  thousand  and  six  the 
pulpit  of  this  church  will  still  look  as  high  from  the  pew 
as  it  does  today. 


